Workbench Users Guide

Workbench User's Guide
ANSYS, Inc. Release 2020 R1

Southpointe January 2020
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Table of Contents
Overview .................................................................................................................................................... 1
The ANSYS Product Improvement Program ............................................................................................. 1
User Interface Overview .......................................................................................................................... 5
Tabs ................................................................................................................................................. 6
Panes ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Systems and Cells ............................................................................................................................. 6
Links ................................................................................................................................................ 7
Interacting with Project Objects .............................................................................................................. 7
Using Help ............................................................................................................................................. 7
Configuring Workbench ........................................................................................................................... 11
Configuring the Toolbox ....................................................................................................................... 11
Configuring Units in Workbench ........................................................................................................... 12
Configuring Panes ................................................................................................................................ 15
Opening and Closing Panes ............................................................................................................ 15
Hiding and Resizing Panes .............................................................................................................. 16
Floating and Docking Panes ............................................................................................................ 16
Resetting Panes .............................................................................................................................. 16
Configuring User Preferences ................................................................................................................ 17
Configuring Software Licensing ............................................................................................................ 17
Single License Sharing .................................................................................................................... 17
Separate Licenses ........................................................................................................................... 19
Explicit Product Licensing ............................................................................................................... 19
Configuring External Solvers for Use with Workbench ............................................................................ 20
Configuring Samcef ........................................................................................................................ 20
The Samcef Result Storage Configuration File ............................................................................ 20
The Samcef Postprocessing Configuration File ........................................................................... 21
Configuring ABAQUS ...................................................................................................................... 26
The ABAQUS Result Storage Configuration File .......................................................................... 27
The ABAQUS Postprocessing Configuration File ......................................................................... 28
Customizing Workbench with ANSYS ACT ............................................................................................. 33
Creating, Opening, and Importing Projects and Files .............................................................................. 35
Creating a New Project ......................................................................................................................... 36
Opening an Existing Project or File ........................................................................................................ 36
Importing Files ..................................................................................................................................... 37
Importing Legacy Databases ................................................................................................................. 38
Adding Systems to the Project Schematic ................................................................................................ 43
System Placement ................................................................................................................................ 43
Adding a System by Double-Clicking ..................................................................................................... 44
Adding a System using Drag-and-Drop ................................................................................................. 45
Adding a System using the Context Menu ............................................................................................. 46
Adding Multiple Independent Systems ................................................................................................. 47
Creating Connected Systems ................................................................................................................ 48
Link Types ...................................................................................................................................... 48
System Highlighting ....................................................................................................................... 49
Connecting Two Existing Systems ................................................................................................... 50
Creating a New Connecting System ................................................................................................ 50
Connecting a New System Using Drag-and-Drop ....................................................................... 50
Connecting a New System Using Transfer Data .......................................................................... 52
Deleting Links ................................................................................................................................ 53
Working Through a System ...................................................................................................................... 55
Release 2020 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. iii
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Understanding Data Flow ..................................................................................................................... 55

Defining your Simulation Geometry ...................................................................................................... 56
Basic Mechanical Analysis Workflow ...................................................................................................... 58
Basic Fluid Flow Analysis Workflow ........................................................................................................ 59
Basic Fluid Flow Analysis, Starting from Geometry ........................................................................... 60
Basic Fluid Flow Analysis, Starting from an Imported Mesh ............................................................... 60
Basic Fluid Flow Analysis, Starting from an Imported Case File: Fluid Flow (ANSYS CFX) System ......... 61
Basic Fluid Flow Analysis, Starting from an Imported Case File: Fluid Flow (Polyflow) System ............. 62
Analysis Systems ................................................................................................................................... 62
Coupled Field Static ........................................................................................................................ 63
Coupled Field Transient .................................................................................................................. 64
Design Assessment ......................................................................................................................... 66
Eigenvalue Buckling ....................................................................................................................... 67
Electric ........................................................................................................................................... 67
Explicit Dynamics ........................................................................................................................... 68
Fluid Flow (CFX) .............................................................................................................................. 68
Resuming a Failed Run .............................................................................................................. 69
Fluid Flow (Fluent) .......................................................................................................................... 70
Fluid Flow (Polyflow) ....................................................................................................................... 71
Harmonic Acoustics ........................................................................................................................ 72
Harmonic Response ........................................................................................................................ 73
Hydrodynamic Diffraction ............................................................................................................... 73
Hydrodynamic Response ................................................................................................................ 74
IC Engine (Fluent) ........................................................................................................................... 74
Magnetostatic ................................................................................................................................ 75
Modal Acoustics ............................................................................................................................. 76
Modal ............................................................................................................................................. 77
Random Vibration .......................................................................................................................... 78
Response Spectrum ........................................................................................................................ 79
Rigid Dynamics .............................................................................................................................. 79
Static Acoustics .............................................................................................................................. 80
Static Structural .............................................................................................................................. 80
Steady-State Thermal ...................................................................................................................... 81
Thermal-Electric ............................................................................................................................. 82
Topology Optimization ................................................................................................................... 82
Throughflow and Throughflow (BladeGen) ...................................................................................... 84
Transient Structural ........................................................................................................................ 84
Transient Thermal ........................................................................................................................... 85
Turbomachinery Fluid Flow ............................................................................................................. 86
Component Systems ............................................................................................................................. 86
ACP-Pre and ACP-Post ..................................................................................................................... 87
Autodyn ......................................................................................................................................... 87
BladeGen ....................................................................................................................................... 89
CFX ................................................................................................................................................ 89
Engineering Data ............................................................................................................................ 90
EnSight (Forte) ................................................................................................................................ 90
External Data .................................................................................................................................. 91
Importing a Trace File into a Mechanical Model Cell ................................................................... 96
Importing a CDB File as Input .................................................................................................... 97
Importing an ANSYS External Data File as Input ......................................................................... 98
Importing Multiple Data Sets .................................................................................................... 99
Source Point Analytical Transformations .................................................................................. 105
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Performing System Coupling Simulations Using External Data ................................................. 110

External Model ............................................................................................................................. 111
Creating and Configuring an External Model System ............................................................... 113
Transferring Data to Mechanical .............................................................................................. 117
Transferring Data to Engineering Data ..................................................................................... 118
MAPDL Material Commands ............................................................................................. 118
NASTRAN Supported Material Specifications ..................................................................... 118
ABAQUS Supported Materials Keywords ............................................................................ 120
Fluent ........................................................................................................................................... 121
Fluent (with Fluent Meshing) ......................................................................................................... 121
Forte ............................................................................................................................................ 122
Geometry ..................................................................................................................................... 123
ICEM CFD ..................................................................................................................................... 123
Elements of the ICEM CFD Component .................................................................................... 125
Creating an ICEM CFD Component .......................................................................................... 126
Updating ICEM CFD Projects ................................................................................................... 126
Interface Differences in the Data-Integrated ICEM CFD ............................................................. 128
Setting Parameters ................................................................................................................. 131
Setting Input Parameters .................................................................................................. 132
Setting Workbench Mesh Parameters for Parts ................................................................... 134
Setting Parameters for Prism Meshing ............................................................................... 135
Setting Output Parameters ............................................................................................... 135
Setting User-Defined Parameters ...................................................................................... 137
Deleting Parameters ......................................................................................................... 139
User-Defined Parameters Example .......................................................................................... 139
Transferring an ICEM CFD Project to Static Structural ............................................................... 142
Icepak .......................................................................................................................................... 143
Workbench Menu Options Overview for Icepak Projects .......................................................... 145
DesignModeler to Icepak ........................................................................................................ 147
Postprocessing Icepak Results ................................................................................................. 150
Thermal Results from Icepak to Mechanical ............................................................................. 151
Design Explorer to Icepak Coupling in Workbench ................................................................... 152
Ansoft to Icepak Coupling in Workbench ................................................................................. 155
Handling Coupling Iterations Between Ansoft and Icepak ........................................................ 163
Icepak and Workbench Integration Tutorial ............................................................................. 164
Material Designer ......................................................................................................................... 164
Mechanical APDL .......................................................................................................................... 164
Creating a Mechanical APDL Analysis ...................................................................................... 165
Mechanical APDL Context Menu Options ................................................................................ 167
Mechanical Model ........................................................................................................................ 169
Model-to-Model Connections ................................................................................................. 170
Solution-to-Model Connections .............................................................................................. 170
Controlling Node and Element Numbering when Model Cells Share Data ................................. 171
Preview Assembled Geometry ................................................................................................ 171
Mesh ............................................................................................................................................ 174
Mesh Context Menu Options ................................................................................................... 174
Mesh-to-Mesh Connections .................................................................................................... 175
Microsoft Office Excel ................................................................................................................... 178
Preparing the Excel File ........................................................................................................... 178
Setting Up the Excel Calculator ............................................................................................... 180
Support of Units ..................................................................................................................... 182
File Management and Modification of the Worksheet .............................................................. 183
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Performance Map ......................................................................................................................... 183

Polyflow ....................................................................................................................................... 183
Results ......................................................................................................................................... 185
AIM: Study .................................................................................................................................... 185
System Coupling .......................................................................................................................... 186
Turbo Setup .................................................................................................................................. 186
TurboGrid ..................................................................................................................................... 186
Vista AFD ...................................................................................................................................... 187
Vista CCD and Vista CCD with CCM ................................................................................................ 187
Vista CPD ...................................................................................................................................... 188
Vista RTD ...................................................................................................................................... 188
Vista TF ......................................................................................................................................... 188
Custom Systems ................................................................................................................................. 189
FSI: Fluid Flow (ANSYS CFX) > Static Structural ............................................................................... 189
FSI: Fluid Flow (Fluent) > Static Structural ....................................................................................... 190
Pre-Stress Modal ........................................................................................................................... 190
Random Vibration ......................................................................................................................... 190
Response Spectrum ...................................................................................................................... 190
Thermal-Stress .............................................................................................................................. 190
Creating a Custom System ............................................................................................................ 190
Design Exploration ............................................................................................................................. 191
Submitting Solutions .......................................................................................................................... 192
Opening Mechanical without a License (Read-Only Mode) ................................................................... 193
Updating Systems ................................................................................................................................... 195
Naming and Renaming Systems .......................................................................................................... 195
Naming Systems ........................................................................................................................... 195
Renaming Systems ....................................................................................................................... 197
Duplicating Systems ........................................................................................................................... 198
Duplicating a Single System .......................................................................................................... 198
Duplicating Multiple Systems ........................................................................................................ 199
Moving Systems ................................................................................................................................. 200
Deleting Systems ................................................................................................................................ 201
Deleting a Single System ............................................................................................................... 201
Deleting Multiple Systems ............................................................................................................ 201
Replacing Systems .............................................................................................................................. 202
Creating Project, System, and Cell Notes .............................................................................................. 202
Updating and Refreshing System Components .................................................................................... 203
Updating a Project ....................................................................................................................... 204
Updating a System ........................................................................................................................ 205
Updating a System Cell ................................................................................................................. 205
Updating Upstream Components .................................................................................................. 205
Interrupting an Update Process ..................................................................................................... 206
Refreshing System Components .................................................................................................... 206
Editing Shared Data ............................................................................................................................ 207
Clearing Generated Data ..................................................................................................................... 207
Resetting Data .................................................................................................................................... 209
Using Journals and Scripts ..................................................................................................................... 211
Setting Journaling Preferences ............................................................................................................ 211
Recording a Journal ............................................................................................................................ 212
Playing Back a Recorded Journal ......................................................................................................... 213
Using the Command Window ............................................................................................................. 213
Working with the Chart Pane .................................................................................................................. 215
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Chart Types ........................................................................................................................................ 215

Setting Chart Properties ...................................................................................................................... 219
Changing the Display of a 3D Chart ..................................................................................................... 221
Using the Triad .................................................................................................................................... 222
Saving a Chart .................................................................................................................................... 222
Working with Project Reports ................................................................................................................ 225
Setting Project Report Options ............................................................................................................ 226
Including CFD-Post Data in the Project Report ..................................................................................... 226
Exporting a Project Report .................................................................................................................. 226
Editing Project Reports ....................................................................................................................... 227
Viewing Report Images ....................................................................................................................... 227
Saving and Managing Project Files ........................................................................................................ 229
Saving a Project File ............................................................................................................................ 229
Archiving a Project .............................................................................................................................. 230
Saving an Archive File ......................................................................................................................... 231
Exporting Systems to a New Project .................................................................................................... 232
Working in the Files Pane .................................................................................................................... 233
Workbench File Types ................................................................................................................... 234
Sorting and Filtering the Files List .................................................................................................. 234
Repairing or Removing Deleted Files ............................................................................................. 235
Opening the Folder Containing Project Files .................................................................................. 236
Copying Cell Text .......................................................................................................................... 236
Recovering Projects ............................................................................................................................ 236
Unlocking Project Files ........................................................................................................................ 237
Project Directories .............................................................................................................................. 237
dp0 Folder .................................................................................................................................... 237
dpn Subdirectories ....................................................................................................................... 238
user_files Folder ........................................................................................................................... 238
Example Project ............................................................................................................................ 239
Understanding Project File Management ............................................................................................ 240
Working with Parameters and Design Points ......................................................................................... 241
Working with Parameters .................................................................................................................... 241
Expressions, Functions, Quantities, and Units ................................................................................. 242
Creating or Editing Parameters ...................................................................................................... 249
Chaining an Output Parameter to an Input Parameter .................................................................... 253
Working with Design Points ................................................................................................................ 254
Multiple Design Points Workflow ................................................................................................... 255
Adding a New Design Point by Duplicating an Existing Design Point .............................................. 256
Adding a New Design Point by Entering Values .............................................................................. 256
Updating Design Points ................................................................................................................ 257
Setting the Design Point Update Option .................................................................................. 258
Updating Only the Current Design Point .................................................................................. 259
Updating Selected Design Points ............................................................................................ 259
Update All Design Points ......................................................................................................... 260
Fixing an Interrupted Design Point Update .............................................................................. 260
Changing the Design Point Update Order ................................................................................ 260
Specifying the Initialization Conditions for a Design Point Update ............................................ 262
Setting Systems using CFD-Post to Update with Design Points ................................................. 262
Setting AIM Result tasks to Update with Design Points ............................................................. 262
Retaining Design Point Data .......................................................................................................... 263
Reviewing the Retained Data Column ........................................................................................... 263
Retaining Parameter Data for Solved Design Points with DesignXplorer ......................................... 264
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Setting a Different Design Point as Current .................................................................................... 265

Copying Input Parameter Values to the Current Design Point ......................................................... 265
Exporting Design Points to New Projects ....................................................................................... 265
Exporting Design Point Parameter Values to a Comma-Separated Values File .................................. 266
Performing and Retaining Partial (Geometry-Only) Updates ........................................................... 267
Reserving Licenses for a Design Point Update ................................................................................ 268
Tracking Licenses .................................................................................................................... 270
Returning Reserved Licenses ................................................................................................... 270
Using HPC Parametric Pack Licenses ........................................................................................ 270
Design Point States ....................................................................................................................... 271
Working with ANSYS Remote Solve Manager ........................................................................................ 273
Specifying Credentials for Remote Solve Manager Job Submission ....................................................... 274
Submitting Solutions to Remote Solve Manager .................................................................................. 275
Submitting Project Updates to Remote Solve Manager ........................................................................ 278
Submitting System Coupling Jobs to Remote Solve Manager ............................................................... 280
Distribution of Computing Resources Across System Coupling Participants .................................... 280
Restricting Solve Processes for System Coupling Project Updates ................................................... 281
Monitoring System Coupling Solution Information ........................................................................ 282
Restarting an Interrupted Remote Project Update ......................................................................... 282
Submitting Mechanical Application Jobs to Remote Solve Manager ..................................................... 282
Workbench/RSM Integration with the Mechanical Application ....................................................... 284
Submitting Mechanical APDL Jobs to Remote Solve Manager .............................................................. 287
Submitting Fluids Jobs to Remote Solve Manager ................................................................................ 288
Submitting CFX Jobs to Remote Solve Manager ............................................................................. 289
Submitting CFX Jobs with Design Points to Remote Solve Manager ......................................... 290
Submitting Polyflow Jobs to Remote Solve Manager ..................................................................... 290
Submitting Fluent Jobs to Remote Solve Manager ......................................................................... 291
Solution Properties: Use Setup Launcher Settings .................................................................... 292
Submitting Icepak Jobs to Remote Solve Manager ......................................................................... 295
Submitting Forte Jobs to Remote Solve Manager ........................................................................... 297
Exiting a Project During a Remote Solve Manager Solution Cell Update .......................................... 298
Monitoring and Controlling Remote Solve Manager Jobs in Workbench ............................................... 299
Using the Taskbar Icon .................................................................................................................. 300
Viewing the Status of Jobs ............................................................................................................ 301
Controlling the Display of the Job List ........................................................................................... 301
Performing Job Actions ................................................................................................................. 302
Controlling the Display of Job Details ............................................................................................ 302
Updating Design Points in Remote Solve Manager .............................................................................. 303
Submitting Design Points to Remote Solve Manager ..................................................................... 304
Performing a Pre-Remote Solve Manager Geometry Update .......................................................... 308
Aborting or Interrupting an RSM Design Point Update ................................................................... 308
Exiting a Project during an RSM Design Point Update .................................................................... 309
Suspending and Resuming Collection of RSM Design Point Results ................................................ 310
Product-Specific Limitations ......................................................................................................... 310
Working with Workbench and EKM ........................................................................................................ 313
Creating a Connection to an EKM Portal .............................................................................................. 313
Launching EKM with a Web Browser .................................................................................................... 315
Working with Existing EKM Connections ............................................................................................. 315
Opening an EKM Connection ........................................................................................................ 316
Closing an EKM Connection .......................................................................................................... 316
Deleting an EKM Connection ........................................................................................................ 316
Working with Workbench Projects Saved in an EKM Repository ............................................................ 317
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User's Guide
Saving Projects and Files to an EKM Repository .............................................................................. 317

Opening a Project from an EKM Repository ................................................................................... 320
Sending Project Changes to the EKM Repository ........................................................................... 322
Getting Project Changes from the EKM Repository ........................................................................ 324
Managing EKM Repository Project Changes .................................................................................. 326
Using a Cache Server for EKM File Transfers .................................................................................... 328
Troubleshooting EKM Connections from Workbench ........................................................................... 329
Troubleshooting Workbench .................................................................................................................. 331
General Workbench Issues .................................................................................................................. 331
Product-Related Issues ........................................................................................................................ 333
Startup or Graphics Issues ................................................................................................................... 333
Error Messages ................................................................................................................................... 334
Known Issues and Limitations ............................................................................................................. 335
Workbench User Preferences .................................................................................................................. 337
Project Management .......................................................................................................................... 338
Appearance ........................................................................................................................................ 338
Regional and Language Options ......................................................................................................... 340
Graphics Interaction ........................................................................................................................... 340
Journals and Logs ............................................................................................................................... 341
Project Reporting ............................................................................................................................... 342
Solution Process ................................................................................................................................. 342
Extensions .......................................................................................................................................... 345
Mechanical APDL ................................................................................................................................ 345
CFX .................................................................................................................................................... 346
Design Exploration ............................................................................................................................. 346
Distributed Compute Services ............................................................................................................. 347
Repository .......................................................................................................................................... 347
Fluent ................................................................................................................................................. 348
Mechanical ......................................................................................................................................... 350
Meshing ............................................................................................................................................. 351
Engineering Data ................................................................................................................................ 352
Microsoft Office Excel ......................................................................................................................... 352
TurboSystem ...................................................................................................................................... 352
Geometry Import ................................................................................................................................ 352
Workbench Interface Reference ............................................................................................................. 357
Tabs in Workbench ............................................................................................................................. 357
Panes within Tabs ............................................................................................................................... 358
Project Schematic Pane ................................................................................................................. 358
Toolbox Pane ................................................................................................................................ 359
Toolbox Customization Pane ......................................................................................................... 361
Files Pane ..................................................................................................................................... 361
Outline Pane ................................................................................................................................. 362
Properties Pane ............................................................................................................................ 362
Table Pane .................................................................................................................................... 363
Chart Pane .................................................................................................................................... 363
Scene Pane ................................................................................................................................... 364
Solution Information Pane ............................................................................................................ 364
Messages Pane ............................................................................................................................. 364
Progress Pane ............................................................................................................................... 365
Sidebar Help ................................................................................................................................. 365
Cells in Workbench ............................................................................................................................. 365
Types of Cells ................................................................................................................................ 365
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Understanding Cell States ............................................................................................................. 367

Cell Properties .............................................................................................................................. 370
Menus in Workbench .......................................................................................................................... 371
Menu Bar ...................................................................................................................................... 371
Context Menus ............................................................................................................................. 374
Glossary ................................................................................................................................................... 381
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List of Figures
1. Volumetric heat losses - Steady-state ...................................................................................................... 158
2. Volumetric heat losses - Transient ........................................................................................................... 159
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List of Tables
1. Properties Pane: Definition Section ........................................................................................................ 114
2. Properties Pane: Rigid Transformation Section ........................................................................................ 115
3. Properties Pane: Mirror Transformation Section ...................................................................................... 116
4. Properties Pane: General Properties ........................................................................................................ 177
5. Properties Pane: Transfer Settings Section .............................................................................................. 177
6. Unit Multipliers ...................................................................................................................................... 246
7. Example Quantities and Units ................................................................................................................ 246
8. Scenarios in which temperature-related units are converted before and during expression evaluation .... 249
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Overview
ANSYS Workbench is a workflow analysis platform, combining the strength of our core simulation tools
with the tools necessary to manage your projects. To build an analysis, you add building blocks called
systems to the main project workspace. These systems make up a flowchart-like diagram that represent
the data flow through your project. Each system is a block of one or more components called cells,
which represent the sequential steps necessary for the specific type of analysis. Once added, you can
link them together to share or transfer data between systems.
From the cells, you can work with various ANSYS applications and analysis tasks; some of these open
in tabs within the Workbench environment, while others open independently in their own windows.
ANSYS applications enable you to define analysis characteristics such as geometry dimensions, material
properties, and boundary conditions as parameters. You can manage parameters at the project-level in
the Workbench environment. To perform your analysis, work through the cells of each system in or-
der—typically from top to bottom—defining inputs, specifying project parameters, running your simu-
lation, and investigating the results.
Workbench enables you to easily investigate design alternatives. You can modify any part of an analysis
or vary one or more parameters, and then automatically update the project to see the effect of the
change on the simulation result.
Related topics:
The ANSYS Product Improvement Program
User Interface Overview
Interacting with Project Objects
Using Help

This product is covered by the ANSYS Product Improvement Program, which enables ANSYS, Inc., to
collect and analyze anonymous usage data reported by our software without affecting your work or
product performance. Analyzing product usage data helps us to understand customer usage trends
and patterns, interests, and quality or performance issues. The data enable us to develop or enhance
product features that better address your needs.
How to Participate
The program is voluntary. To participate, select Yes when the Product Improvement Program dialog
appears. Only then will collection of data for this product begin.
How the Program Works

After you agree to participate, the product collects anonymous usage data during each session. When
you end the session, the collected data is sent to a secure server accessible only to authorized ANSYS
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 1
Overview
employees. After ANSYS receives the data, various statistical measures such as distributions, counts,
means, medians, modes, etc., are used to understand and analyze the data.
Data We Collect
The data we collect under the ANSYS Product Improvement Program are limited. The types and amounts
of collected data vary from product to product. Typically, the data fall into the categories listed here:
Hardware: Information about the hardware on which the product is running, such as the:
• brand and type of CPU
• number of processors available
• amount of memory available
• brand and type of graphics card
System: Configuration information about the system the product is running on, such as the:
• operating system and version
• country code
• time zone
• language used
• values of environment variables used by the product
Session: Characteristics of the session, such as the:
• interactive or batch setting
• time duration
• total CPU time used
• product license and license settings being used
• product version and build identifiers
• command line options used
• number of processors used
• amount of memory used
• errors and warnings issued
Session Actions: Counts of certain user actions during a session, such as the number of:
• project saves
• restarts
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• meshing, solving, postprocessing, etc., actions
• times the Help system is used
• times wizards are used
• toolbar selections
Model: Statistics of the model used in the simulation, such as the:
• number and types of entities used, such as nodes, elements, cells, surfaces, primitives, etc.
• number of material types, loading types, boundary conditions, species, etc.
• number and types of coordinate systems used
• system of units used
• dimensionality (1-D, 2-D, 3-D)
Analysis: Characteristics of the analysis, such as the:
• physics types used
• linear and nonlinear behaviors
• time and frequency domains (static, steady-state, transient, modal, harmonic, etc.)
• analysis options used
Solution: Characteristics of the solution performed, including:
• the choice of solvers and solver options
• the solution controls used, such as convergence criteria, precision settings, and tuning options
• solver statistics such as the number of equations, number of load steps, number of design points, etc.
Specialty: Special options or features used, such as:
• user-provided plug-ins and routines
• coupling of analyses with other ANSYS products
Data We Do Not Collect

The Product Improvement Program does not collect any information that can identify you personally,
your company, or your intellectual property. This includes, but is not limited to:
• names, addresses, or usernames
• file names, part names, or other user-supplied labels
• geometry- or design-specific inputs, such as coordinate values or locations, thicknesses, or other dimen-
sional values
Overview
• actual values of material properties, loadings, or any other real-valued user-supplied data
In addition to collecting only anonymous data, we make no record of where we collect data from. We
therefore cannot associate collected data with any specific customer, company, or location.
Opting Out of the Program

You may stop your participation in the program any time you wish. To do so, select ANSYS Product
Improvement Program from the Help menu. A dialog appears and asks if you want to continue parti-
cipating in the program. Select No and then click OK. Data will no longer be collected or sent.
The ANSYS, Inc., Privacy Policy

All ANSYS products are covered by the ANSYS, Inc., Privacy Policy.
Frequently Asked Questions

1. Am I required to participate in this program?
No, your participation is voluntary. We encourage you to participate, however, as it helps us create
products that will better meet your future needs.
2. Am I automatically enrolled in this program?
No. You are not enrolled unless you explicitly agree to participate.
3. Does participating in this program put my intellectual property at risk of being collected or discovered by ANSYS?
No. We do not collect any project-specific, company-specific, or model-specific information.
4. Can I stop participating even after I agree to participate?
Yes, you can stop participating at any time. To do so, select ANSYS Product Improvement Program
from the Help menu. A dialog appears and asks if you want to continue participating in the program.
Select No and then click OK. Data will no longer be collected or sent.
5. Will participation in the program slow the performance of the product?
No, the data collection does not affect the product performance in any significant way. The amount
of data collected is very small.
6. How frequently is data collected and sent to ANSYS servers?
The data is collected during each use session of the product. The collected data is sent to a secure
server once per session, when you exit the product.
7. Is this program available in all ANSYS products?
Not at this time, although we are adding it to more of our products at each release. The program
is available in a product only if this ANSYS Product Improvement Program description appears in the
product documentation, as it does here for this product.
8. If I enroll in the program for this product, am I automatically enrolled in the program for the other ANSYS products
I use on the same machine?
Yes. Your enrollment choice applies to all ANSYS products you use on the same machine. Similarly,
if you end your enrollment in the program for one product, you end your enrollment for all ANSYS
products on that machine.
9. How is enrollment in the Product Improvement Program determined if I use ANSYS products in a cluster?
In a cluster configuration, the Product Improvement Program enrollment is determined by the host
machine setting.
10. Can I easily opt out of the Product Improvement Program for all clients in my network installation?
Yes. Perform the following steps on the file server:
a. Navigate to the installation directory: [Drive:]\v201\commonfiles\globalsettings
b. Open the file ANSYSProductImprovementProgram.txt.
c. Change the value from "on" to "off" and save the file.

Use the following image and topics to understand basic user interface functionality.
Overview
Related topics:
Tabs
Panes
Systems and Cells
Links
Tabs
Tabs are workspaces that allow you to interact with different parts of your project. The Project tab
is used as the main workspace, but other tabs can be opened; either by double-clicking the associated
cell, or by right-clicking it and selecting Edit from the context menu.
Each cell that does not launch an external application has a single workspace that can be opened
inside Workbench. In some cases, you can open multiple tabs of the same type; for example, if you
have three Engineering Data cells in three separate systems, you can open three Engineering Data
tabs at the same time.
You can right-click tabs to Close Tab, Close Other Tabs, and Close All. You can also close individual
tabs by clicking the x icon. Only the Project tab cannot be closed.
For a detailed list of available tabs, see Tabs in Workbench (p. 357).
Panes
Tabs in Workbench are made up of multiple panes that contain information relating to the project
shown in the tab.
Some panes are common to multiple tabs, while others are tab-specific. Some panes are only shown
in the tab for which they’ve been enabled, while others, once enabled, are shown across all the tabs
either until you either disable them or reset the tab layout.
To configure panes, see Configuring Panes (p. 15). For a detailed list of available panes, see Panes
within Tabs (p. 358).
Systems and Cells

A system is a workflow building block and is made up of one or more analysis components called
cells.
You can interact with a cell to perform any of the following actions:
• Launch an application that opens independently of Workbench
• Open a tab inside Workbench
• Add connecting systems, either upstream or downstream
• Assign input or reference files
• Assign properties to components of your analysis
Using Help
Each cell has either an application or a tab associated with it. Some cells are associated with an ap-
plication that launches in a separate window, such as Fluent or Mechanical; in some cases, multiple
cells in a system can be associated with the same application. Other cells, such as the Parameters
cell or a cell in a System Coupling system, are associated with tabs that open inside Workbench.
Icons for each cell indicate the state of that particular cell, such as whether the cell requires attention,
is up-to-date, and so on. For more information, see Understanding Cell States (p. 367).
To display a quick help panel for the cell, click the blue triangle in the lower right corner of the cell
(where available). The quick help message that displays explains any immediate action that must be
taken and can include links to more detailed help.
For more information on working with systems, see Working Through a System (p. 55). For a detailed
list of cell types, see Types of Cells (p. 365).
Links
Links represent data sharing or data transfer between the systems added to the Project Schematic.
For more information on link types and working with links, see Creating Connected Systems (p. 48).
Interacting with Project Objects

The Toolbox and Project Schematic pane contain project objects such as systems, cells, and links. You
can interact with these objects in a number of different ways:
• Single-click: Selects an object. This does not modify data or initiate any action.
• Double-click: Initiates the default action from the context menu. This allows users who are familiar with
Workbench to quickly move through basic or common operations.
• Right- click: Displays a context menu applicable to the current state of the selected object. From the context
menu, you can select from multiple actions. The default action is shown in bold.
• Drag-and-drop: Previews possible locations for an object in the Project Schematic. A drag-and-drop oper-
ation can have multiple alternative targets, depending on context and schematic complexity. Holding down
the mouse button, hover over any target to see details of how the target location would be implemented
(for example, what components would be connected after the operation is completed).
To cancel a drag-and-drop operation, press the Esc key while holding down the mouse button.
Using Help
Workbench offers three levels of help:
• Quick Help (p. 8)
• Sidebar Help (p. 8)
• Online Help (p. 9)
Overview
Quick Help
Quick help is available for most cells in a system. Click the blue arrow in the bottom right corner of the
cell to see a brief help panel on that cell. Quick help is generally state-sensitive; as the state of a cell
changes, the content of the quick help panel updates to match. From quick help, you can also access
related help topics in the online help system.
Sidebar Help
The Sidebar Help pane is shown on the right side of the screen. The content of this help panel is de-
termined by the portion of the interface that has focus (that is, where the mouse was last clicked).
• If no area has focus, a user interface overview topic is displayed.
• If the Project Schematic has focus but no systems are defined, a getting started topic is displayed.
• If the Project Schematic has focus and one or more systems have been defined, links to those specific system
types, as well as links to general topics are displayed.
To access the Sidebar Help pane, press F1 or, from the menu bar, select Help → Show Context Help.
Using Help
Online Help
Online help is available from the Workbench Help menu, or from any of the links in the quick help or
the Sidebar Help pane. Online help provides a comprehensive overview of all features and capabilities
and includes full search capabilities.
Configuring Workbench
Use the following topics to configure Workbench:
Configuring the Toolbox
Configuring Units in Workbench
Configuring Panes
Configuring User Preferences
Configuring Software Licensing
Configuring External Solvers for Use with Workbench
Customizing Workbench with ANSYS ACT
Configuring the Toolbox

When you open Workbench, the Toolbox pane on the Project tab contains the systems available to
you. These are the products you have installed and for which licenses are available.
To configure the Toolbox to show only the systems you use, rather than all available systems:
1. At the bottom of the Toolbox, Click View All / Customize.
2. In the Toolbox Customization pane, deselect systems you want to hide.
3. To close the Toolbox Customization pane, click << Back.

Workbench provides:
• Predefined unit systems that contain the most commonly used sets of units.
• The ability to define custom unit systems (p. 14) based on the predefined unit systems. (You cannot edit or
delete predefined unit systems.)
• The ability to display the following project data using the project unit system:
– Engineering data
– Parameters
– Charts.
• The ability to share the unit system between users.
Note:
Unit settings in Workbench are not passed to Fluid Flow analysis systems; to CFX, Fluent,
Results, or TurboGrid systems; or to FSI: Fluid Flow custom systems.
To open the Unit Systems dialog box, from the menu bar select Units → Unit Systems.
The Unit Systems dialog is displayed and contains the following options:
Option Description
Sets unit system for active project.
Active
Project
Sets default unit system. This will be default unit system for every project.
Default
Hides/displays unit system menu item. Only 15 unit systems can be unsuppressed and
Sup- displayed as in the Units menu.
press/Unsup-
press
Duplicate Creates a custom unit system based on selected unit system.
Delete Deletes unit system. The following unit systems cannot be deleted:
• Predefined Unit System
• Active Project Unit System
• Default Unit System
Import Imports a units file (*.xml).

Export Exports the active project unit system as a units file (*.xml).
Units
A unit system is a collection of the preferred unit for the base, common, and other quantity types.
• Base Units: All other units are derived from these units.
– Angle
– Chemical Amount
– Current
– Length
– Luminance
– Mass
– Solid Angle
– Time
– Temperature
• Common Units: These are units which are derived from the base units and are typically used as base units
for other units.
– Electric Charge
– Energy
– Force
– Power
– Pressure
– Voltage
• Other Units: Several other units are derived from base and common units.
For a detailed description on how units are used in expressions, see Expressions, Functions, Quantities,
and Units (p. 242).
Predefined Unit Systems

Workbench offers the following predefined unit systems:
• Metric (kg, m, s, °C, A, N, V) (default unit system)

• Metric (tonne, mm, s, °C, mA, N, mV)
• U.S. Customary (lbm, in, s, °F, A, lbf, V)
• SI (kg, m, s, K, A, N, V)
• U.S. Engineering (lbm, in, s, R, A, lbf, V)
You cannot edit or delete predefined unit systems.
Workbench also provides the following additional unit systems. These are suppressed by default.
• Metric (g, cm, s, °C, A, dyne, V)

• Metric (kg, mm, s, °C, mA, N, mV)
• Metric (kg, µm, s, °C, mA, µN, V)
• Metric (decatonne, mm, s, °C, mA, N, mV)
• U.S. Customary (lbm, ft, s, F, A, lbf, V)
• Consistent CGS
• Consistent NMM
• Consistent µMKS
• Consistent BIN
• Consistent BFT
For a detailed description of unit systems for the Mechanical application, see Solving Units in the
Mechanical User's Guide.
You can also display values as defined and display values in project units. See Units Menu (p. 373) for
more information on using these options.
Custom Unit Systems

To create a custom unit system based on a predefined unit system, select the unit system and click
Duplicate.
• The default name for the new Unit system is Custom Unit System. You can change the name.
• You can change the units for any quantity type from the available list.
• The list of units that are available are either consistent with SI or US Customary, depending on the original
unit system. This to assure that a consistent unit system can be constructed for solution purposes.
• Changing base units can automatically change Common and Other derived units if appropriate. For example,
if the mass unit is kg, the length unit is m, and the force unit is N, then changing mass to g and length to
cm will automatically change force to dyne.
Configuring Panes
Unit Limitations
Sound Pressure Level and A Weighted Sound Pressure Level are dimensionless quantities with units dB
and dBA, respectively.
• Math operations between these two units or either of these and a numerical value will result in a value
with no unit. For example, 10 dB x 10 = 100. (no unit)
• Math operations between either of these units and a dimensional unit will result in a value with the
dimensional unit. For example, 10 dB x 10 m = 100 m.
Configuring Panes
The configuration and persistence of panes across tabs varies to give you the maximum flexibility in
customizing the information you see on each tab. The header bar of each pane contains icons and
context menus that allow you to control pane attributes such as visibility, size, and floating/docked
state. You can access the context menu either by clicking the down arrow or by right-clicking in the
header.
Some panes—for example, the Table, Chart, Outline, and Properties panes—are defined per tab, so
that changes to a pane are specific to that tab. For example, if you resize and float the Chart pane in
the Parameter Set tab and then switch to the Response Surface tab in a DesignXplorer system, the
Chart pane in the new tab is not resized and floated.
For more information on specific panes, see Panes within Tabs (p. 358).
Related topics:
Opening and Closing Panes
Hiding and Resizing Panes
Floating and Docking Panes
Resetting Panes
Opening and Closing Panes

To open a pane, from the menu bar, select View → pane name. Once the pane is open, it updates
its content according to what you’ve selected; by selecting different objects, you can view or edit the
associated properties of those objects.
To close a pane, use one of the following options:
• From the menu bar, select View → pane name to deselect it.
• Right-click the header bar of the pane and from context menu, select Close.
• From the Windowing drop-down menu on the pane header bar, select Close.
• On the header bar, click .
Hiding and Resizing Panes

To change how the pane displays, from the pane header bar context menu or the Windowing drop-
down menu, select from the following options:
• Minimize: Displays the pane as a tab in the bottom left corner of the Workbench window. To display the
pane again, click the tab.
• Maximize: Expands the pane to its largest size.
You can only maximize a floating pane; you cannot maximize a docked pane.
• Restore: Returns the pane to its pre-maximized size and location.
To resize a pane, use your mouse to drag its edges to the desired size.
Floating and Docking Panes

By default, most panes are docked, or embedded, in their tab. You can separate a pane from its tab,
so it can be moved outside of the Workbench window. When you dock a pane, it returns to its place
on its usual tab.
When you float a pane, you separate it from its tab, so it is still available when you switch tabs. This
is especially useful when you want to see a pane that is not available as part of a tab. For example,
the Files pane is not visible in the Parameter Set tab, but you can float the Files pane so you can
see it while working with project parameters.
To float a pane, use one of the following options:
• Right-click the header bar of the pane and from context menu, select Float.
• From the Windowing drop-down menu on the pane header bar, select Float.
• On the header bar of the pane, click .
• Tear the pane from its dock by dragging the header bar of the pane to another location.
To dock a pane, use one of the following options:
• Right-click the header bar of the pane and from context menu, select Dock.
• From the Windowing drop-down menu on the pane header bar, select Dock.
• On the header bar of the pane, click .
When you dock a pane, it returns to its usual tab and may not be visible in the current tab.
Resetting Panes
You can reset the panes for one tab or for all the tabs.
• To reset all the panes in the current tab to their default position, select View → Reset Workspace.
• To reset all the panes in the project, select View → Reset Window Layout. This resets the panes in all
tabs to their default positions and switches to the Project tab.
Configuring User Preferences

To set your preferences for Workbench, from the menu bar, select Tools → Options.
The preferences you set here are local settings, affecting only you. Some changes made in the Options
dialog take place immediately, while others take place after you restart Workbench.
For detailed descriptions of each preference dialog box, see Workbench User Preferences (p. 337).

The License Preferences For User dialog box allows you to specify which licensing method and which
licenses to use. You can:
• Share a single license between applications (default)
• Use a separate license for each application
You must specify the licensing method before starting a Workbench session. You cannot choose a li-
censing preference when accessing the License Preferences For User dialog box from the Workbench
Tools menu.
To configure software licensing:
1. From the Windows Start menu, select Start > ANSYS 2020 R1 > User License Preferences 2020 R1.
2. Under When using Workbench, would you like to, select one of the following options:
• Share a single license between applications, where possible
• Use a separate license for each application
3. To acknowledge and close the licensing changes message, click OK.
Related topics:
Single License Sharing
Separate Licenses
Explicit Product Licensing
Single License Sharing

Workbench allows you to work across multiple applications and workspaces while consuming only
one of a single type of license per user per session. Using shared licensing, the active application
holds the license, preventing other applications that are sharing that license from using it during that
time. The application or operation requiring use of the license is called a concurrency event. For ex-
ample, meshing and solving would each be a concurrency event.
Single license sharing allows you to progress through your analysis, from specifying engineering data
through building or attaching a geometry, meshing, setup, solving, and finally, reviewing your results,
all under the same license.
The application holding the license must close, issue a PAUSE command, or receive an automatic release
request to release the license and allow another application to use it. Licenses cannot be released
while an application is actively performing a concurrency event (for example, an application cannot
release a license in the middle of a solve operation).
Single license sharing applies only to licenses of the same type (for example, Mechanical Enterprise).
Choosing this option does not affect your ability to use licenses of different types simultaneously (for
example, Mechanical Enterprise for one task and ANSYS CFD for another).
Because this method is the default, you do not have to take any action to run this way.
License Type
License type is primarily by license feature. It is possible to use both a Mechanical Pro and a Mechan-
ical Enterprise license within a single Workbench session.
The first license checked out within a session is based on your preferences and what capabilities are
being requested. For all applications other than the first (subsequent) one opened (within Workbench),
ANSYS licensing first looks at what other licenses are opened within this session. If any other licenses
being used within this session fulfill the needed capabilities, share an existing license. If not, preferences
are used and a new, different license is checked out.
Example 1: Mechanical Enterprise Listed First in Preferences
You have one license for Mechanical Enterprise and one license for Mechanical Pro, with Mechanical
Enterprise listed first in your preferences. The first application starts and only needs capabilities in
Mechanical Pro. Since Mechanical Enterprise contains Mechanical Pro capabilities and is first in your
preferences, Mechanical Enterprise is checked out. The second application starts and needs Mechan-
ical Enterprise; since Mechanical Enterprise is already checked out, the second application shares it
with the first. Only the Mechanical Enterprise license is consumed in this session
Example 2: Mechanical Pro Listed First in Preferences
You have one license for Mechanical Enterprise and one license for Mechanical Pro, with Mechanical
Pro listed first in your preferences. The first application starts and only needs capabilities provided in
Mechanical Pro, so Mechanical Pro is checked out. The second application starts and needs capabilities
provided on Mechanical Enterprise; since (the already in use) Mechanical Pro cannot satisfy its require-
ments, it checks out Mechanical Enterprise. Both a Mechanical Enterprise and a Mechanical Pro license
are consumed in this session.
Restrictions of Single License Sharing

You cannot run two concurrency events simultaneously (for example, you cannot mesh one model
and solve another simultaneously) with one license.
If you are using a license for one application, other applications may still not be able to share that
license if those applications require capabilities not supported by the license. For example, you cannot
share a Mechanical Enterprise license with a Fluent application.
Single License Sharing in Workbench Applications

Workbench applications handle single license sharing differently.
Mechanical Application: You can launch Mechanical and move between its components (such as
Meshing, Setup, and Solve). The active component controls the license while completing its operations
and release the license as soon as the operation is completed. For example, when you mesh, the
Meshing component controls the license during the meshing operation and then immediately releases
the license when the operation is completed. The other components remain in a read-only mode
while Meshing uses the license, allowing you to view the data in other components but not operate
on it.
Mechanical APDL: This application consumes a license as soon as you launch it, and retains that license
until it is finished. If you launch the Mechanical APDL application interactively, the license is retained
until you either close the application or issue a PAUSE command at the Mechanical APDL command
line. PAUSE allows you to temporarily release the license for another application to use. No other
operation other than SAVE or /EXIT is permitted while PAUSED. When the second application has
finished and releases the license, issue an UNPAUSE command from the Mechanical APDL command
line to resume its use of the license.
CFX, Fluent, Autodyn, Polyflow: These applications consume a license when launched and retain
the license until they receive a request from another application to release it. For example, if you
open CFX-Pre, CFX-Pre obtains and controls the license. It retains the license until you close the ap-
plication or until another application (such as the CFX solver) requests it.
Autodyn and Polyflow also provide a manual PAUSE feature that allows you to interrupt Autodyn or
Polyflow and release the license, temporarily, for another application to use.
Electronics Applications: Electronics applications do not support license sharing.
Separate Licenses
By using the separate-licenses method, Workbench requires a separate license for each application.
By using this method, you can leave each application running and easily move between them at any
point during the analysis, even if one of the applications is actively using the license (such as during
a solve process). The disadvantage to this method is that you could potentially consume many licenses.
Example 3: Two Mechanical Enterprise Licenses
You have two Mechanical Enterprise licenses. When you open and mesh or solve a model in Mechan-
ical, you consume one Mechanical Enterprise license. If you link that Mechanical application analysis
to a Mechanical APDL system, it consumes a second Mechanical Enterprise license when you launch
the Mechanical APDL application, if you have not closed out of Mechanical application. Neither of
these licenses would then be available for other users until you closed out of one or both of the ap-
plications.
Explicit Product Licensing

Licenses that can be used to start the Mechanical application products are called primary configured
tasks. Licenses that cannot start a product but add functionality are called add-on licenses. Most licenses
are either one or the other. A primary configured task license is pulled during the launch of the ap-
plication and cannot be added on-demand if the application is already open. For example, the Multi-
Body Dynamics analysis is only supported as an add-on license, so another, primary configured task
license is needed to start the Mechanical application for a Transient Structural (Rigid dynamics) ana-
lysis.
An add-on license is used whenever the need arises, even if the Mechanical application is opened.
However, the ANSYS Explicit STR products like AUTODYN-2D, AUTODYN-3D, and ANSYS Explicit STR
are of a dual nature and are supported both as primary configured tasks and as add-ons. The dual
nature of explicit products enables the analysis of the mixed implicit and explicit system using a single
Mechanical editor.

This section describes how to set up your environment to use the Samcef and ABAQUS solvers within
Workbench.
Configuring Samcef
Configuring ABAQUS
Configuring Samcef
After installing the Samcef program, you must set the following environment variables for compatib-
ility with Workbench:
SAMTECH_LICENSE_FILE
The path to your license server or license file. See the Samcef documentation for more information.
SAM_EXE
The path to the Samcef executable folder. In a standard installation, this is the Exec folder in the base
directory of the Samcef install. For instance, if Samcef is installed at C:\Samcef, the path to the execut-
able folder is C:\Samcef\Exec
SAM_WORK
The path to a temporary folder for a local run of Samcef. See the Samcef documentation for more inform-
ation.
The Samcef Result Storage Configuration File

The exact results stored by the Samcef solver can be controlled using an XML configuration file.
This file uses Samcef SAI codes to define which results to write to the results file. Results are classified
by result type and category. The configuration file is located at ANSYS_IN-
STALL_DIR\v201\aisol\WBAddins\SamcefAddin\SamcefArchiveSettings.xml.
The configuration file is read when Mechanical is launched. If changes are made to the file while
Mechanical is running, Mechanical must be restarted to reflect the changes.
The XML root element in this file is <SamcefArchiveSettings>. The child nodes of this root
element represent analysis types. The only valid child node is <Analysis>, and this child node
has the following attribute:
name (type string)

The analysis type:
• default
• modal
• non_linear
• harmonic
• thermal
The <Analysis> node can have a child node of <Output>, which has the following attribute:
type (type string)

The option type, used to order SAI codes in the solver input file:
• nodal
• elemental
The <Output> node has child nodes of <Codes> which have the following attributes:
value (type string)

List of Samcef SAI codes separated by spaces. Usually a list of integers, positive or negative.
category (type string)

Optional, used for options enable or disabled by the user.
• stress
• strain
• thermal_flux
• contact
When a solve is executed and the solver input file is created, Mechanical finds the correct <Ana-
lysis> node in the configuration file to determine the SAI codes to write to the input file. This
check is performed by finding the analysis type and whether the analysis is linear or nonlinear. The
following table describes the mapping:
Workbench Analysis Type Option <Analysis> Node Used

Static Structural (Samcef ) Linear default
Nonlinear non_linear
Transient Structural (Samcef ) Linear default
Modal (Samcef ) Linear modal
Harmonic Response (Samcef ) - harmonic
Eigenvalue Buckling (Samcef ) - No SAI code written
Steady-State Thermal (Samcef ) - thermal
Transient Thermal (Samcef ) - thermal
The Samcef Postprocessing Configuration File

In order to postprocess all results from the Samcef solver in the Workbench interface, an XML file
is used to map the results between Samcef and Workbench. The XML file defines all of the Workbench
result codes with associated data, and lists the corresponding Samcef codes. The configuration file
is located at ANSYS_INSTALL_DIR\v201\aisol\WBAddins\SamcefAddin\SamcefRes-
ultCodes.xml.
The configuration file is read when Mechanical starts postprocessing Samcef data. If changes are
made to the file while Mechanical is running, Mechanical must be restarted to reflect the changes.
The following is an example result as expressed in the XML configuration:
<Result result_name="U" result_id="101" data_type="nodal" out_unit="length" style="vector"

num_comp="5" comp_labels="XYZLABELS" description="Deformations(XYZs)">
<Codes>
<Code name="Code 163" />
</Codes>
</Result>
The listing provides the following information:
• The Workbench code "U" identified by Mechanical by the ID 101 is a nodal result and is interpreted as
a length.
• The result is represented in the vector style, has 5 components and is part of the XYZLABELS group.
• The result corresponds to Samcef result code, "Code 163".
The XML Result object can have the following attributes:
result_name (type string)

The Workbench name of the result. Standard Mechanical names are reserved.
result_id (type integer)

The Workbench ID of the result. Standard Mechanical IDs are reserved; you should start numbering
solver-specific results at 100000. You should not choose a number larger than 1000000 because those
numbers are internally reserved.
data_type (type string enumerate)

The result type:
• nodal
• elem_nodal
• elemental
out_unit (type string enumerate)

The unit type of the result. If this value is defined_per_component, the subtag <UnitsPerCom-
ponent> must be defined.
The <UnitsPerComponent> node contains individual <Component> nodes with the attributes
name and out_unit. The name attribute corresponds to the component name, and the
out_unit attribute has the same requirements as this attribute.
<UnitsPerComponent>
<Component name="XXX" out_unit="XXX" />
<Component out_unit="XXX" />
</UnitsPerComponent>
• no_units
• acceleration
• angle
• angular_velocity
• area
• capacitance
• charge
• charge_density
• conductivity
• current
• current_density
• density
• displacement
• electric_conductivity
• electric_field
• electric_flux_density
• electric_resistivity
• energy
• film_coeff
• force
• force_intensity
• frequency
• heat_flux
• heat_generation
• heat_rate
• inductance
• inverse_stress
• length
• magnetic_field_intensity
• magnetic_flux
• magnetic_flux_density
• mass
• moment
• moment_inertia
• permeability
• permittivity
• poisson
• power
• pressure
• relative_permeability
• relative_permittivity
• section_modulus
• specific_heat
• specific_weight
• shear_strain
• stiffness
• strain
• stress
• strength
• thermal_expansion
• temperature
• time
• velocity
• voltage
• volume
• gasket_stiffness
• moment_inertia_mass
• psd_acceleration
• psd_acceleration_grav
• psd_displacement
• psd_velocity
• rotational_damping
• rotational_stiffness
• translational_damping
• angular_acceleration
• seedbeck_coefficient
• decay_constant
• fracture_energy
• shock_velocity
• energy_density_mass
• electric_conductance_per_unit_area
• psd_stress
• psd_strain
• psd_force
• psd_moment
• psd_pressure
• force_per_angular_unit
• impulse
• impulse_per_angular_unit
• temperature_difference
• material_impedance
• rs_acceleration
• rs_acceleration_grav
• rs_displacement
• rs_velocity
• warping_factor
• thermal_conductance
• inverse_length
• inverse_angle
• thermal_capacitance
• normalized_value
• mass_flow_rate
• unitless
• stress_intensity_factor
• sqrt_length
• energy_per_volume
• thermal_gradient
style (type string enumerate)

The style of the value:
• scalar
• vector
• tensor
• tensor_strain
• euler_angles
• coordinate
• shear_moment_diagram
num_comp (type integer)

Number of components, between 1 and the length of comp_labels.
comp_labels (type string enumerate)

The component labels:
• XYZLABELS
• STRESSLABELS
• CONTACTLABELS
• BEAMLABELS
• GASKETLABELS
• NLLABELS
• MISCLABELS
• SENGLABELS
• SPRINGLABELS
• BEAM188LABELS
• RADIOSITYLABELS
• EULERLABELS
• BEAMRXLABELS
• THERMALMASSLABELS
• SHELLMBPLABELS
• SLASHPNUMLABELS
• CINTLABELS
• PRIN_S_LABELS
• PDMG_LABELS
• PFC_LABELS
• CDM_LABELS
• CONTDEBONDLABELS
• BEARINGLABELS
• BLANKLABELS
description (type string)

Free text.
Once the <Result> node is defined, the <Codes> node with the individual <Code> child nodes
are defined. The <Codes> node can have the following attributes:
hasShell (type string)

If present and value = true, the layer attribute should be defined.
layer (type integer)

Only necessary if hasShell is set to true.
• 1 - bottom
• 2 - middle
• 3 - top
Note:
It is possible to have a <Codes> node without any child <Code> nodes. It can be used
to define a result with layers but no associated codes for those layers, for example
TEMP_UPSHELL.
The <Code> child nodes can have the following attributes:
name (type string)

Value of the Samcef solver code, generally of the form "Code XXX" or "Sdb XXX".
module (type string)

Optional, if set, defines the code only for a specific Samcef module. Possible values are:
• ba - bacon
• me - mechano
• as - asef
• st - stabi
• dy - dynam
• mt - mechano/thermal
• re - repdyn
Limitations
• If the XML of the configuration file is missing or not well-formed, no results are available.
• If a result has invalid syntax (missing XML components, invalid attributes), it is not available.
• Mechanical must be restarted if any changes are made to the result configuration file during operation.
Configuring ABAQUS
ABAQUS versions 6.11 and 6.14 are supported.
After installing ABAQUS, you must configure the ANSYS_INSTALL_DIR\v201\aisol\WBAd-

dins\AbaqusAddin\config.xml file in order to postprocess results. Edit the config.xml file
with a text editor, and specify the version of ABAQUS you have installed:
• <AbaqusVersion version="6.11-2">
• <AbaqusVersion version="6.14-3">
If more than one version of ABAQUS is installed on your machine, the paths to the version configured
for use with Workbench must appear first in your PATH environment variable.
Assuming ABAQUS is installed at C:\SIMULIA\Abaqus, for ABAQUS 6.11-2, the PATH environment
variable must contain:
• C:\SIMULIA\Abaqus\Commands
• C:\SIMULIA\Abaqus\6.11-2\exec\lbr
• C:\SIMULIA\Abaqus\6.11-2\External
• C:\SIMULIA\Abaqus\External\Backbone
Assuming ABAQUS is installed at C:\SIMULIA\Abaqus, for ABAQUS 6.14-3, the PATH environment
variable must contain:
• C:\SIMULIA\Abaqus\Commands
• C:\SIMULIA\Abaqus\6.14-3\code\bin
• C:\SIMULIA\Abaqus\6.14-3\tools\SMApy\python2.7\Lib
The default configuration is for ABAQUS 6.11-2. If the ABAQUS version installed does not match the
version specified in the config.xml file, Mechanical returns an error when trying to postprocess
the ODB result file.
The ABAQUS Result Storage Configuration File

The exact results stored by the ABAQUS solver can be controlled using an XML configuration file.
This file uses ABAQUS Program Controlled codes to define which results to write to the results file.
Results are classified by result type and category. The configuration file is located at ANSYS_IN-
STALL_DIR\v201\aisol\WBAddins\AbaqusAddin\AbaqusArchiveSettings.xml.
The configuration file is read when Mechanical is launched. If changes are made to the file while
Mechanical is running, Mechanical must be restarted to reflect the changes.
The XML root element in this file is <AbaqusArchiveSettings version="1">. The child
nodes of this root element represent analysis types. The only valid child node is <Analysis>, and
this child node has the following attribute:
name (type string)

The analysis type:
• struct
• eigen
• thermal
The <Analysis> node can have a child node of <Output>, which has the following attribute:
type (type string)

The option type, used to order codes in the solver input file:
• nodal
• elemental
• contact
• energy
• radiation
The <Output> node has child nodes of <Codes> which have the following attributes:
value (type string)

List of ABAQUS codes separated by spaces. Usually a list of integers, positive or negative.
position (type string)

For elemental results, if a result exists with a matching position, it is used. Otherwise results without
position are used.
category (type string)

Optional, used for options enable or disabled by the user.
• stress
• strain
• thermal
• contact
When a solve is executed and the solver input file is created, Mechanical finds the correct <Ana-
lysis> node in the configuration file to determine the SAI codes to write to the input file. This
check is performed by finding the analysis type and whether the analysis is linear or nonlinear. The
following table describes the mapping:
Workbench Analysis Type <Analysis> Node Used

Static Structural (ABAQUS) struct
Transient Structural (ABAQUS) struct
Modal (ABAQUS) eigen
Steady-State Thermal (ABAQUS) thermal
Transient Thermal (ABAQUS) thermal
The ABAQUS Postprocessing Configuration File

In order to postprocess all results from the ABAQUS solver in the Workbench interface, an XML file
is used to map the results between ABAQUS and Workbench. The XML file defines all of the Work-
bench result codes with associated data, and lists the corresponding Samcef codes. The configuration
file is located at ANSYS_INSTALL_DIR\v201\aisol\WBAddins\AbaqusAddin\VkiAbaqus-
ResultCodes.xml.
The configuration file is read when Mechanical starts postprocessing ABAQUS data. If changes are
made to the file while Mechanical is running, Mechanical must be restarted to reflect the changes.
The following is an example result as expressed in the XML configuration:
<Result result_name="U" result_id="101" data_type="nodal" out_unit="length" style="vector"
num_comp="5" comp_labels="XYZLABELS" description="Deformations(XYZs)">

<Solver name="Abaqus">
<Code name="U" />
</Solver>
<vki vki_root_name="D" />
</Result>
The listing provides the following information:
• The Workbench code "U" identified by Mechanical by the ID 101 is a nodal result and is interpreted as
a length.
• The result is represented in the vector style, has 5 components and is part of the XYZLABELS group.
• The result corresponds to vki result "D", which comes from ABAQUS code "U".
The XML Result object can have the following attributes:
result_name (type string)

The Workbench name of the result. Standard Mechanical names are reserved.
result_id (type integer)

The Workbench ID of the result. Standard Mechanical IDs are reserved; you should start numbering
solver-specific results at 100000. You should not choose a number larger than 1000000 because those
numbers are internally reserved.
data_type (type string enumerate)

The result type:
• nodal
• elem_nodal
• elemental
out_unit (type string enumerate)

The unit type of the result:
• no_units
• acceleration
• angle
• angular_velocity
• area
• capacitance
• charge
• charge_density
• conductivity
• current
• current_density
• density
• displacement
• electric_conductivity
• electric_field
• electric_flux_density
• electric_resistivity
• energy
• film_coeff
• force
• force_intensity
• frequency
• heat_flux
• heat_generation
• heat_rate
• inductance
• inverse_stress
• length
• magnetic_field_intensity
• magnetic_flux
• magnetic_flux_density
• mass
• moment
• moment_inertia
• permeability
• permittivity
• poisson
• power
• pressure
• relative_permeability
• relative_permittivity
• section_modulus
• specific_heat
• specific_weight
• shear_strain
• stiffness
• strain
• stress
• strength
• thermal_expansion
• temperature
• time
• velocity
• voltage
• volume
• gasket_stiffness
• moment_inertia_mass
• psd_acceleration
• psd_acceleration_grav
• psd_displacement
• psd_velocity
• rotational_damping
• rotational_stiffness
• translational_damping
• angular_acceleration
• seedbeck_coefficient
• decay_constant
• fracture_energy
• shock_velocity
• energy_density_mass
• electric_conductance_per_unit_area
• psd_stress
• psd_strain
• psd_force
• psd_moment
• psd_pressure
• force_per_angular_unit
• impulse
• impulse_per_angular_unit
• temperature_difference
• material_impedance
• rs_acceleration
• rs_acceleration_grav
• rs_displacement
• rs_velocity
• warping_factor
• thermal_conductance
• inverse_length
• inverse_angle
• thermal_capacitance
• normalized_value
• mass_flow_rate
• unitless
• stress_intensity_factor
• sqrt_length
• energy_per_volume
• thermal_gradient
style (type string enumerate)

The style of the value:
• scalar
• vector
• tensor
• tensor_strain
• euler_angles
• coordinate
• shear_moment_diagram
num_comp (type integer)

Number of components, between 1 and the length of comp_labels.
comp_labels (type string enumerate)

The component labels:
• XYZLABELS
• STRESSLABELS
• CONTACTLABELS
• BEAMLABELS
• GASKETLABELS
• NLLABELS
• MISCLABELS
• SENGLABELS
• SPRINGLABELS
• BEAM188LABELS
• RADIOSITYLABELS
• EULERLABELS
• BEAMRXLABELS
• THERMALMASSLABELS
• SHELLMBPLABELS
• SLASHPNUMLABELS
• CINTLABELS
• PRIN_S_LABELS
• PDMG_LABELS
• PFC_LABELS
• CDM_LABELS
• CONTDEBONDLABELS
• BEARINGLABELS
• BLANKLABELS
is_membrane (type boolean)

If this attribute is present and marked true, the result is only added if the model has a membrane.
is_six_dof (type boolean)

Optional, applies for only "R" and "M" type Mechanical results.
description (type string)

Free text.
The <Solver> node references the solver used by the attribute name. All child <Code> nodes
are the codes associated to the Workbench result for this solver. A code is an alphanumerical string
referred by attribute name. It is possible to define several codes for the same solver.
The <vki> node is another way to match the solver result. This node has the following attributes:
vki_root_name (type string)

The vki root name as described in the documentation/API.
vki_aux_name (type string)

Only required if vki_root_name is set to UNKNOWN. Matches the vki result in case of unknown vki
type.
Note:
If solver-specific data and vki data are fulfilled for a specific result, Mechanical will first
try to match the vki code. If it is not found, it will try to match the solver-specific code.
For example, when reading a result file, the vki dataset E_ELAST is found, with solver-
specific data EE. Mechanical looks for a Workbench result having vki root name E_ELAST.
If not found, it looks for a Workbench result having Abaqus code EE.
Limitations
• If the XML of the configuration file is missing or not well-formed, no results are available.
• If a result has invalid syntax (missing XML components, invalid attributes), it is not available.
• Mechanical must be restarted if any changes are made to the result configuration file during operation.
The following results don't appear in the XML file, as they have behavior which is not compatible:
• SERR - not associated to VKI or ABAQUS, is available if S and SVOLU are also available.
• NDIR, EDIR - not associated to VKI or ABAQUS, is available if the model contains shells.

With ANSYS ACT, you can create extensions to customize supported ANSYS products, including Work-
bench.
ACT provides three levels of Workbench customization:
• Feature Creation
Feature creation is the direct, API-driven customization of an ANSYS product. In addition to leveraging
the functionality already available in Workbench, ACT enables you to add functionality and operations
of your own. Examples of feature creation include the creation of custom loads and geometries, the
addition of custom preprocessing or postprocessing features, and the integration of third-party
solvers, sampling methods, and optimization algorithms.
For general feature creation information, see Feature Creation in the ACT Developer's Guide. For
Workbench-specific feature creation information, see Workbench Feature Creation in the ACT Custom-
ization Guide for Workbench.
• Simulation Workflow Integration
Simulation workflow integration is the incorporation of external knowledge such as apps, processes,
and scripts into the ANSYS ecosystem. Using ACT, you can customize simulation workflows in the
Workbench Project tab.
For example, you can create custom task groups (systems) and custom tasks (components) for insertion
in the Project Schematic, constructing consistent and cohesive simulation workflows that allow your
business-specific elements to coexist and interface with pre-built ANSYS solutions.
For components that support updates in Remote Solve Manager (RSM), you can use ACT to configure
job submission options for remote and background updates.
For more information, see Simulation Workflow Integration and Simulation Workflow Integration Ex-
amples in the ACT Customization Guide for Workbench.
Process Compression
Process compression is the encapsulation and automation of existing processes available in an ANSYS
product. The result is a wizard that provides guidance within the product workflow, walking the end
user step-by-step through a simulation. You can create single wizards to run in the Workbench Project
tab or mixed wizards to be run across several ANSYS products.
Wizards allow you to leverage both the existing functionality of Workbench and the scripting capab-
ilities of the Workbench framework API. With a wizard, you can manipulate existing features and
simulation components, organizing them as needed to produce a custom automated process. You
can also customize the user interface of a wizard as a whole and define layouts for individual interface
components.
For general wizard information, see Simulation Wizards in the ACT Developer's Guide. For Workbench-
specific wizard information, see Workbench Wizards in the ACT Customization Guide for Workbench.
Creating, Opening, and Importing Projects and Files
When you start Workbench, or open a project in Workbench, it opens to the Project tab. The Project
tab is the main workspace where you build your analysis.
Like all tabs, the Project tab is made up of different panes that can be reconfigured according the in-
formation you want to see. By default, the Project tab has the Toolbox pane and the Project Schem-
atic pane.
You can start adding systems to the Project Schematic immediately or you can create, open, or import
a project.
Related topics:
Creating a New Project
Opening an Existing Project or File
Importing Files
Importing Legacy Databases
Creating a New Project

When Workbench opens, it displays a blank Project Schematic that you can start adding systems to.
If you need to open a new blank Project Schematic, you can create a new project.
To create a new project:
1. From the menu bar, select File → New.
If you have added a system to the Project Schematic, the following message is displayed:
The project has been modified. Do you want to save it?
2. To save the modified project before opening the new one:
a. From the dialog box, select Yes.
b. Type a name for the project.
c. Browse to the location you want to save the project in.
d. Click Save.
To delete the project, click No.
Opening an Existing Project or File

You can open a previously saved project or file to continue working with it.
On Windows systems, you can also double-click a .wbpz archive file from the directory it is saved in
to open the archive.
If you have deleted any project files through the file system and not through the Workbench interface,
you may see a warning message when you attempt to open the project. The error message lists the
missing files. The corrective action depends on the type of files that are missing:
• For files that are programmatically integrated with Workbench (such as database files, geometry files, engin-
eering data files, application-generated files, and so on), open the Files pane and use the context menu to
repair a file or permanently remove it (p. 235) from the project’s Files list if it is no longer needed. Repairing
these types of files should be done carefully; it is possible to use files or file types that are not similar to the
original. Missing or erroneous files can cause unintended consequences for project stability and usability.
• For files that are not programmatically integrated with Workbench (such as user-supplied input files, dpn
files, and so on), you can replace them using your file system and then open the project again. These files
may not be necessary for the project; in this situation, you can safely ignore the warning message.
To open an existing project:
1. From the menu bar, select File → Open.
2. Optionally, select a file type from the file selection filter list.
Importing Files
• Workbench Files (*.wbpj, *.wbpz, *.wbjn)
• Project Files (*.wbpj)
• Archive Files (*.wbpz)
• Journal Files (*.wbjn)
• Python Script Files (*.py)
• All Files (*.*)
3. Browse to the file location.
4. Select the file to open.
5. Click Open.
6. If you are opening an archive file (*.wbpz), browse to the location where you would like to extract the
archive to and click Save.
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. From the menu bar, select File → Import.
2. Optionally, select a file type from the file selection filter list.
• Workbench Project Archive Files (*.wbpz)
• Workbench R10/11 Project (*.wbdb)
• 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)
• ICEM CFD Project (*.prj)
• Importable Mechanical File (*.dsdb, *.mechdat)
• Importable Mesh File (*.cmdb, *.meshdat)
• Engineering Data File (*.xml, *.engd)
• BladeGen File (*.bgd)
• Geometry File (*.sat, *.sab, *.ant, *pmdb, *.agdb, *.model, *.exp, *.session, *.div, *CATPart,
*CATProduct, *.3dxml, *.ipt, *.iam, *.jt)
• FEModeler Database (*.fedb)
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.

Workbench offers several methods to import databases from earlier releases:
• Context Menu Import: Create the appropriate system and cell in the Project Schematic, right-click the
cell, and import the file into the cell from the context menu.
• File Import: From the menu bar, select File → Import, then select the file to import. The proper systems
and cells are created and populated with the data from the imported file. You can also drag-and-drop one
or multiple files from Windows Explorer onto the Project Schematic. These files are treated as if they were
imported.
• Project Import: From the menu bar, select File → Import, then select the project to import. All necessary
systems, cells, and links are established and populated with data from the various files that made up the
earlier release's project.
In each of these cases, you must launch the associated application to use the imported file, which is
typically the same application that was used to edit the file in the earlier release. The imported files are
not undergoing any transformation in this release of Workbench; rather, access to the files is being co-
ordinated through the Project Schematic interface.
Not all products/databases use all of these methods.
DesignXplorer Release 11 (.dxdb) file import is not supported; however, basic parameter import is
supported.
The following table shows which applications can use the three methods described above.
Application Context Menu File Import Project Import

Import
ANSYS Workbench, Release 10 or 11 (.wbdb) X
Mechanical (.dsdb) X X
Engineering Data (.eddb) X
(except
convections
and load
histories)
Engineering Data (.xml, .engd) X
ANSYS AQWA, Release 12 only (.aqdb) X X
Autodyn (.ad) X X
Mechanical APDL (.inp, .dat, .cdb, .mac, X
.anf)
DesignModeler (.agdb) X X X
Meshing (.cmdb) X X
Fluent (.msh, .cas, .dat) X
CFX (.cfx, .def, .res) X X
BladeGen (.bdg) X X
Additional Mechanical Application Import Details

• Any .dsdb files and .wbdb project files created in Release 11 or earlier containing items that convert into
Mesh or Mechanical systems cannot be imported. To import these files, import them first into a version
between Release 12 and 19.2, save as file in that version, and then import into Release 2020 R1.
• Legacy .dsdb files that contain multiple models are split into multiple files.
• .dsdb files become .mechdb files internally.
• Separate systems are created to correspond to each of the Release 11 environments. Environments that use
the same geometry and model are represented with a link between the Geometry and Model cells of the
systems. Physics environments are typically represented as a link between a Solution cell of the originating
system and the Setup cell of the receiving system. For example, a thermal condition is represented by a
connection between the Solution cell of a thermal system and the Setup cell of a structural system.
• Information that is transferred from the Release 11 system to the current system includes:
– Model name
– Model state
– Physics type
– Internal IDs for model, mesh, environment, and answer set
– Engineering Data file path
– Material property suppression path
– Solver files directory path
– Solver type
– Geometry preferences
– Parameters
• Legacy .dsdb files that do not contain an environment are imported as Mechanical Model (p. 169) systems.
• When you import a database that does not include a result file (such as .mechdat files), certain Mechanical
result-based features may be lost. For example, if no result file is available:
– Results do not deform or animate properly.
– A Harmonic Response environment includes a result that has a Sweeping Phase property specified, then
the result contour colors on the model are absent.
– A Harmonic Acoustics environment has multiple RPMs are selected, the Tabular Data for a result lists all
frequencies in the analysis, not just the frequencies in the selected RPM Set Number.
Additional Aqwa Import Details

• Only ANSYS AQWA Release 12 databases can be imported. More recent versions are not imported correctly
and may cause functional issues.
• An Aqwa Release 12 database is imported as a standalone Hydrodynamic Diffraction system.
• If the Release 12 database contains multiple analyses, they are converted into multiple Hydrodynamic Dif-
fraction systems.
• Geometry associated with the legacy database is associated with the Geometry cell of the Hydrodynamic
Diffraction system and is editable.
Additional Autodyn Import Details

Links are not created when Autodyn files are imported from Release 11.0.
Additional CFX Import Details

• If CFX files are included in the .wbdb project, they appear in the Files pane, but system or links associated
with these files are not created. To create a CFX system and import the selected file, select Import to
Schematic from the Files pane. This creates a CFX system and imports the selected file.
• You can import CFX-Solver .bak files or full .trn files into the Project Schematic so that you can postpro-
cess results for debugging when a run fails. You may find it useful to use full .trn files as a backup mech-
anism because all timesteps are retained, instead of just the most recent ones, and it is easier to postprocess
multiple timesteps.
Additional DesignModeler Import Details

• DesignModeler files (.agdb) can be imported through context menu import.
• .agdb and .modeldv files can be imported by selecting File → Import.
• Links with other cells are automatically generated when .agdb files that are present in the Release 11.0
.wbdb project are imported into the appropriate system (Mechanical Model or other appropriate system).
• Parameters contained in the .agdb file are not immediately published to the Project Schematic interface.
They are published when the DesignModeler application is opened.
• CAD files that were imported into the .agdb are not immediately registered in the Files pane of the Project
Schematic. Registration of these files occurs when the DesignModeler application is opened.
Additional Meshing Import Details

• .cmdb files from Release 10 that contain CFX-Mesh data are not supported. To import these files, import
them first into Release 11, save as a Release 11 file, and then import into Release 2020 R1.
• Links with other cells are automatically generated when .cmdb files that are present in the Release 11.0
.wbdb project are imported into the appropriate system (Mechanical model or other appropriate system).
• CFX-Mesh files (.gtm, .cfx) can be imported via context menu import from the Mesh cell of a Mesh system.
Adding Systems to the Project Schematic
In the Project tab, you take systems from the Toolbox and add them to the Project Schematic. Projects
can vary in complexity, from a single system representing all the necessary steps for a desired analysis,
to a complex set of connected (linked) systems representing coupled analyses or variations in modeling
approaches.
Note:
We recommend that a project contain only systems that are relevant to a specific analysis
or coupled analysis with a well-defined focus. Adding systems for multiple unrelated analyses
to the same project can have an adverse effect on performance and cause corruption with
portions of the project.
Most analysis systems are defined by three primary attributes: physics type, analysis type, and solver
type. Workbench uses these attributes to determine valid data transfer and system replacement possib-
ilities. For more information on the types of systems, see Working Through a System (p. 55).
Related topics:
System Placement
Adding a System by Double-Clicking
Adding a System using Drag-and-Drop
Adding a System using the Context Menu
Adding Multiple Independent Systems
Creating Connected Systems
System Placement
Systems are added from left-to-right, and from top-to-bottom. All data transfer occurs from left (upstream)
to right (downstream); you cannot transfer data from right to left.
When placing or moving systems, it is important that you place receiving systems to the right of
sending systems. All processing of data (such as updates) also occurs in the same direction, from left-
to-right and top-to-bottom.
Adding a System by Double-Clicking

The simplest way to add a new system to the Project Schematic is to double-click the system in the
Toolbox.
The system is placed in a new row in the Project Schematic, below any existing systems.
The following Show-Me animation is presented as an animated GIF in the online help. If you are reading the
PDF version of the help and want to see the animated GIF, access this section in the online help. The interface
shown may differ slightly from that in your installed product.

You can add a system to the Project Schematic by dragging it from the Toolbox and dropping it in
the desired location. This method provides a preview of possible target locations, allowing you to choose
the best location for that system.
To add a system using drag-and-drop:
1. In the Toolbox, click the required system.
2. Holding down the mouse button, drag the system over to the Project Schematic.
3. Hover the mouse over the green drop targets to see the result of dropping the system in that location.
The drop target turns red when the mouse is over the target. In cases where the new system can
be linked to one or more existing systems, drop targets are also shown on the eligible cells of the
existing systems.
4. Release the mouse button to place the system onto the drop target.
Note:
When you attempt to add an invalid system (for example, if the mesh type is not compatible
with the system you are attempting to add), the drop target preview will be visible, but the
system is not added when you release the mouse. Details are written to the Messages
pane (p. 364).
The following Show-Me animation is presented as an animated GIF in the online help. If you are reading the
PDF version of the help and want to see the animated GIF, access this section in the online help. The interface
shown may differ slightly from that in your installed product.
Adding a System using the Context Menu

The context menu includes a list of available systems, divided into categories. From this list, you can
browse and select a system to add to the Project Schematic.
The available systems in this list reflect your Toolbox configuration (p. 11).
To add a system using the context menu:
1. Right-click the white space in the Project Schematic.
2. From the context menu, select New category Systems → system name.

Independent systems are systems on the Project Schematic that are not connected to other systems
by data links. Multiple independent systems can be used to keep the analyses for related but separate
components within the same project (for example, two parts of the same vehicle). You may also want
to create independent systems if you are analyzing the same model but using different solvers to
compare the results, or are using different editors on independent yet related data (for example, you
are using Mechanical APDL on an independent input file, and using Mechanical on a geometry file that
has related origins to the input file of the Mechanical APDL system).
You can create a new independent system using either of the following methods:
• Double-click the desired system (p. 44).
The new system is created on the Project Schematic below an existing system and is not linked to
any existing system.
• Drag-and-drop the desired system (p. 45).
When you drag the system from the Toolbox and move it over the Project Schematic, a preview of
all possible drop targets is shown. Drop the system on a target that displays the message Create
standalone system.

Connected systems are systems on the Project Schematic that are connected together by data links
so data can be shared and/or transferred between the two systems. You can use connected systems
for sequential physics coupling (for example, thermal-stress) or for sequential simulation steps, such as
a pre-stress modal (stress analysis followed by modal), mode-superposition (modal followed by harmonic),
and so on. You can either create connections between existing systems or create a new system that is
connected to an existing system.
Link Types
Links connecting systems represent data sharing or data transfer between the systems. The following
table provides descriptions of links used in the Project Schematic.
Link Image Description

Name
Shared Data is shared between systems.
data
Data Data is transferred from an upstream system

transfer to a downstream system.
Input A system is consuming input parameters.

parameters These links connect systems to the Paramet-
er Set bar.
Link Image Description

Name
Output A system is providing output parameters.
parameters These links connect systems to the Paramet-
er Set bar.
Design A Design Exploration system is connected

Exploration to project parameters. These links connect
system Design Exploration systems to the Paramet-
er Set bar.
Design N/A Design point data is transferred from a

point Design Exploration component to a Design
data Exploration Direct Optimization system. For
more information, see Transferring Design
Point Data for Direct Optimization in the
DesignXplorer User's Guide.
System Highlighting
To trace how data is shared and/or transferred between systems, click a system cell. The shared data
and data transfer links connected from this cell to upstream and downstream systems are highlighted,
allowing you to easily see how the data in this cell is connected to other systems in the project.
The following Show-Me animation is presented as an animated GIF in the online help. If you are reading
the PDF version of the help and want to see the animated GIF, access this section in the online help. The
interface shown may differ slightly from that in your installed product.
Connecting Two Existing Systems

You can connect systems on the Project Schematic by linking one or more component cells (for
example, a Geometry cell and/or an Engineering Data cell) from one system to eligible cells in an-
other system.
To connect two existing systems:
1. To preview possible drop targets, drag a cell from the source system and hold it over cells in the target
system.
2. Drop the system on the target best suited to your engineering goals.
Data transfer links are displayed between the connected cells.
Creating a New Connecting System

When you create a new system that is connected to an existing system, Workbench generates data
shares and/or data transfers between the systems to achieve a compound analysis. In this case, the
two systems are then interdependent.
The new system can be created either upstream (the new system provides inputs to the existing
system) or downstream (the new system receives inputs from the new system) of the existing system.
The system receiving input is also called the dependent system. To create a new connected system,
you can either a drag-and-drop the new system or use the Transfer Data context-menu option.
Connecting a New System Using Drag-and-Drop

You can use drag-and-drop functionality to create a new dependent system.
To drag-and-drop a new connected system:
1. Drag a system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic.
2. Move the new system over cells in the existing system to preview available drop targets.
3. Drop the system on the desired target.
The new system is created downstream on the Project Schematic.
The following animation demonstrates the various drop targets and their results. For example, se-
lecting the Geometry cell as the drop target results in a second system that shares the Engineering
Data and Geometry data. Selecting the Model cell as the drop target results in a second system
that shares the Engineering Data, Geometry and Model data. The preview for each drop target in-
dicates how the new system will be connected to the existing one.
If you select the Solution cell as the drop target, the preview displays the text Share A2:A4
Transfer A6, meaning that the data for cells A2, A3, and A4 (Engineering Data, Geometry, and
Model in the following animation) would be shared, and data from cell A6 (in this case, Solution)
would be transferred as input to the new system. It is important to review each potential drop
target carefully to ensure that you select the target that best suits your needs. Note that in addition
to the red, linked drop targets, you can also preview the green independent drop targets.
the PDF version of the help and want to see the animated GIF, access this section in the online help.
The interface shown may differ slightly from that in your installed product.
Connecting a New System Using Transfer Data

The Transfer Data options available in the context menu allow you to select a cell in an existing
system and create a new system either upstream or downstream of that system.
To transfer data to a new connected system:
1. Right-click the target cell in the existing system.
2. Select from the following options:
• To create the new system upstream of the existing system (so the existing system is dependent),
select Transfer Data from New from the context menu. Select your new system from a list of all
possible analysis types that can provide data to the existing cell.
• To create the new system downstream of the existing system (so the new system is dependent),
select Transfer Data to New from the context menu. Select your new system from a list of all
possible analysis types that can accept data from the existing cell.
When using either of the Transfer Data options, all possible cells are shared, up to the position of
the selected cell.
Deleting Links
In most cases, you can delete links by right-clicking the link and selecting Delete from the context
menu. The data associated with the cell in the upstream system is copied to the downstream system
so the cells can be edited independently.
In some cases (for example, links between two mechanical model cells), you cannot delete shared
data links. In these cases, the linked cells in the downstream system have a gray background (as
shown in the following image).
Working Through a System
Workbench provides you with a straightforward workflow for creating and working through a system.
First, you select a system from the Toolbox and add it to the Project Schematic (see Adding Systems
to the Project Schematic (p. 43)). Then you work through the cells in the system, generally from top-
to-bottom, until you have completed all the required steps for your analysis.
In most cases, data flows from top-to-bottom through the system, as well. For example, in a Mechanical
system, the geometry must be defined before you can define the model; the Model cell uses the geo-
metry defined in the Geometry cell as its input.
Because the workflows for different types of analyses differ to some degree, we have included two
typical examples of working with analysis systems: one for a mechanical analysis and one for a fluid
flow analysis.
Related topics:
Understanding Data Flow
Defining your Simulation Geometry
Basic Mechanical Analysis Workflow
Basic Fluid Flow Analysis Workflow
Analysis Systems
Component Systems
Custom Systems
Design Exploration
Submitting Solutions
Opening Mechanical without a License (Read-Only Mode)
Understanding Data Flow

To complete your analysis, you work downward through each cell in order. In general, data flows
downstream (from top-to-bottom within systems and from left-to-right across systems). Output data
from upstream component cells is provided as the input data for downstream cells. Output data from
certain types of cells in one system can also be transferred and/or shared with cells in another system.
The following example shows two systems in the Project Schematic, a Fluid Flow (Fluent) system
(system A) and a Static Structural system (system B).
The geometry from the Geometry cell in system A becomes the input for the Mesh cell of system A.
The mesh generated in the Mesh cell of system A, in turn, becomes input to the downstream Setup
cell of system A, and so on.
Data also flows between system A and system B. These two systems share the same geometry, as indic-
ated by the blue link with the square terminator between the Geometry cell in system A and the
Geometry cell in system B.
Solution data from System A is provided to the Setup cell of system B, as indicated by the fuchsia
connector with the round terminator.
At a glance, you can see the data relationship between the two types of analysis systems.

All analysis systems and several component systems begin with a geometry-definition step. You can
define the geometry differently depending on the type of simulation you are running. In most cases,
you use the Geometry cell. With the Geometry cell, you can:
• Create a geometry in DesignModeler or SpaceClaim.
• Import an existing geometry:
– From neutral formats such as IGES, STEP, Parasolid, and ACIS.
– From CAD files.
– From a CAD session running on the same machine.
For Fluid Flow simulations, you can also start with an imported mesh or case file; see Basic Fluid Flow
Analysis, Starting from an Imported Mesh (p. 60) for details.
To specify the geometry using the context menu:
1. Right-click the Geometry cell.
2. Select New DesignModeler Geometry or New SpaceClaim Geometry to launch those respective programs
and create a new model or select Import Geometry and browse to an existing CAD model.
Alternatively, you can also launch Workbench directly from some CAD systems. When doing so, Work-
bench starts with a Geometry system in place and the CAD file already attached.
After you have attached or imported your geometry, the state appears as Up to Date (p. 367), and the
icon indicates the type of file imported. Geometry types include:
ACIS (.sat)
ANSYS Neutral File (.anf)
Autodesk Inventor (.ipt, .iam)
BladeGen (.bgd)
CATIA v4 (.model, .dlv)
CATIA v5 (.CATPart, .CATProduct)
Creo Elements/Direct Modeling (.pkg, .bdl, .ses, .sda, .sdp, .sdac, .sdpc)
Creo Parametric (formerly Pro/ENGINEER) (.prt, .asm)
DesignModeler (.agdb)
IGES (.iges, .igs)
JT Open (.jt)
Monte Carlo N-Particle (.mcnp)
NX (.prt)
Parasolid (.x_t, .xmt_txt, .x_b, .xmt_bin)
Solid Edge (.par, .asm, .psm, .pwd)
SOLIDWORKS (.SLDPRT, .SLDASM)
SpaceClaim (.scdoc)
STEP (.stp, .step)
Stereolithography (.stl). For this file type, the mesh can only be generated using Cartesian
Mesh Method. And, it is recommended that you use Element Face scoping for connections, loads,
and results.
No file imported.
If you do not need to make any additional changes to your geometry, you can continue working through
the analysis as described in the next sections.
If your geometry must be modified before continuing with your analysis, you can edit the geometry in
DesignModeler or SpaceClaim. After modifying the geometry, the icon in the Geometry cell changes
to the icon of the application you used to make those modifications. For a file imported and then
modified in DesignModeler, you can open the file in DesignModeler, and the DesignModeler model
tree indicates the original source of the geometry.
After the geometry is defined, you can share it with other systems. See Data Sharing and Data Transfer
for more information on sharing geometry systems.
For detailed CAD-related information specific to the ANSYS DesignModeler application and Workbench,
see CAD Integration.
Basic Mechanical Analysis Workflow

After introducing a new Mechanical analysis system to the Project Schematic and assigning an appro-
priate name, the focus is typically directed to the Geometry cell, because this is usually the first cell in
the system that requires user input. You can edit or define material models in the Engineering Data
cell, but this example assumes that the default materials are sufficient.
Important:
You are not required to define a geometry. You can open Mechanical without an attached
geometry. You can simply skip the step of specifying a geometry and open Mechanical. This
can be done to create a template for use with multiple geometries. Moreover, you are not
required to define an analysis system. You can begin your simulation with a Mechanical
Model system and build the simulation as desired until you wish to add a geometry as well
as specify an analysis type. This flexibility can be beneficial.
You typically work through the system from top to bottom. Use the context menus for each cell to view
and select operations that can be performed for that cell.
1. Import or create a geometry:
• To import an existing geometry, right-click the Geometry cell and select Import Geometry. From the
context menu, select a previously used geometry, an active CAD model, or browse to a desired folder
location.
• To create a new geometry, select New DesignModeler Geometry or New SpaceClaim Geometry, as
appropriate.
2. To define all loads and boundary conditions, right-click the Setup cell and select Edit.
Mechanical opens. Set up your analysis using the application's tools and features.
3. Typically, you solve your analysis from within Mechanical, however, you can right-click the Solution cell
and select Update. The results appear automatically.
For more information on setting up and running specific Mechanical analyses, see Analysis Sys-
tems (p. 62).

After introducing a new Fluid Flow analysis system to the project schematic and assigning it an appro-
priate name, the focus is typically directed to the Geometry cell, because this is usually the first cell in
the system that requires user input. An example of both a CFX and a Fluent fluid flow system is shown
below.
You typically work through the system from top to bottom. Use the context menus for each cell to view
and select operations that can be performed for that cell. For fluid flow systems, the process is somewhat
flexible; you can start from geometry, from an existing mesh, or from an existing case file; each is de-
scribed in the following sections.
Basic Fluid Flow Analysis, Starting from Geometry

Typically, you start working through the system at the Geometry cell.
1. To launch a geometry program and create a new model, right-click the Geometry cell and select New
DesignModeler Geometry or New SpaceClaim Geometry from the context menu or select Import
Geometry and browse to an existing CAD model.
For details, see Defining your Simulation Geometry (p. 56).
2. After your geometry is defined and the Geometry cell shows the green check mark indicating that the
cell is up to date, you can proceed to the Mesh cell. To launch the meshing application, double-click
the Mesh cell or right-click the cell and select Edit from the context menu.
To generate a default mesh, right-click the Mesh cell and selected Update. This generates the
mesh in the background without launching the meshing application.
When this step has successfully completed, the Mesh cell displays a green check mark, indicating
an up-to-date state.
3. To load the physics pre-processor, double-click the Setup cell or right-click the cell and select Edit from
the context menu.
If you are working a Fluid Flow (Polyflow) system, the editor is the Fluent application. If you are
working with a Fluid Flow (ANSYS CFX) system, the editor is CFX-Pre.
When you have successfully defined your physics, the Setup cell displays a green check mark,
indicating an up-to-date state.
4. To open the associated Solution cell editor, double-click the Solution cell or right-click the cell and
select Edit from the context menu.
to run the solution in the background, right-click the Solution cell and select Update from the
context menu.
If you are working a Fluid Flow (Polyflow) system, the associated editor is the Fluent application.
If you are working with a Fluid Flow (ANSYS CFX) system, the associated editor is the CFX-Solver
Manager.
When the solution is complete, the Solution cell displays a green check mark, indicating an up-
to-date state.
5. You can now post-process the resulting solution. To open the resulting solution in ANSYS CFD-Post,
double-click the Results cell or right-click the cell and select Edit from the context menu.
Once the process has been completed, all cells in the system should display a green check mark, in-
dicating an up-to-date state.
Basic Fluid Flow Analysis, Starting from an Imported Mesh

You can bypass the Geometry cell and start the simulation process by importing a mesh.
1. To import your mesh file, right-click the Mesh cell and select Import Mesh File from the context menu.
2. In the Open dialog, browse to find your mesh file and click Open.
The process for CFX and Fluent differs only in the types of files that are supported (as shown by
the options shown in the Files of Type drop-down list).
After selecting Open, the Mesh cell changes to Imported Mesh and shows a green check mark,
to indicate an up-to-date state. The Geometry cell (which must be unused for the Import Mesh
File option to be shown in the Mesh cell context menu) is deleted from the system (examples
shown below for both a CFX and a Fluent-based Fluid Flow system).
3. To load the physics pre-processor, double-click the Setup cell or right-click the cell and select Edit from
the context menu.
4. From this point, follow the procedure described in Basic Fluid Flow Analysis, Starting from Geo-
metry (p. 60).
Basic Fluid Flow Analysis, Starting from an Imported Case File: Fluid Flow
(ANSYS CFX) System
You can bypass the Geometry cell and the Mesh cell and begin the simulation process by importing
a case file. The process differs slightly for CFX and Fluent-based systems.
1. Right-click the Setup cell and select Import Case → Browse.
2. In the Open dialog, browse to find your case file and click Open.
3. If the Geometry and Mesh cells are unused (empty), then the unused cells are automatically deleted.
If either cell has an incoming or outgoing connection, then it is considered used, and is not de-
leted.
Because CFX supports multiple meshes imported into a single setup cell, if either of the Geometry
or Mesh cells contains data, neither cell is deleted. As a result, both the Mesh generated in the
Mesh cell and the mesh imported from the case file is combined in CFX-Pre.
4. Once the import is complete, to start CFX-Pre, double-click the Setup cell or right-click the cell and select
Edit from the context menu.
metry (p. 60).
Basic Fluid Flow Analysis, Starting from an Imported Case File: Fluid Flow
(Polyflow) System
You can bypass the Geometry cell and the Mesh cell and begin the simulation process by importing
a case file. The process differs slightly for CFX and Fluent-based systems.
1. To import a case file, right-click the Setup cell and select Import Polyflow Case from the context menu.
2. Select a case file either from the list of recently used case files or select Browse….
3. A warning dialog informs you that completing this action deletes the Geometry and Mesh cells and
any associated data. Click OK.
The Geometry and Mesh cells are deleted from the system. Any existing connections to the
Geometry and Mesh cells are also deleted.
metry (p. 60).
Analysis Systems
Analysis systems include all the necessary component cells already defined and ready to be populated.
For example, a static structural analysis system includes all the cells needed for the analysis, Engineering
Data through Results.
Some analysis types offer different solvers, noted in parentheses. The features available can differ from
one solver to another.
The following analysis systems are available:

Coupled Field Static
Coupled Field Transient
Design Assessment
Eigenvalue Buckling
Electric
Explicit Dynamics
Fluid Flow (CFX)
Fluid Flow (Fluent)
Fluid Flow (Polyflow)
Harmonic Acoustics
Harmonic Response
Hydrodynamic Diffraction
Hydrodynamic Response
IC Engine (Fluent)
Magnetostatic
Modal Acoustics
Modal
Analysis Systems
Random Vibration
Response Spectrum
Rigid Dynamics
Static Acoustics
Static Structural
Steady-State Thermal
Thermal-Electric
Topology Optimization
Throughflow and Throughflow (BladeGen)
Transient Structural
Transient Thermal
Turbomachinery Fluid Flow
Coupled Field Static

The Coupled Field Static system determines the displacements, stresses, strains, and forces caused
by loads that do not induce significant inertia and damping effects. Steady loading and response
conditions are assumed. The loads and the responses are assumed to vary slowly with respect to
time. The system supports 2D coupled and structural thermal physics.
This system is configured in ANSYS Mechanical, using the Mechanical APDL solver to compute the
solution.
To work through a Coupled Field Static system:
1. To add a Coupled Field Static analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
Schematic or double-click the system in the Toolbox.
Once the analysis type is selected, the following prompt displays.
This prompt informs you that you can automatically create a Physics Region (object) in the
downstream Mechanical system by selecting physics types in the Setup cell properties. Both the
Structural and Thermal properties, as illustrated below, are read-only properties that are always
active.
2. To ensure the prompt is not displayed again, select the Do not show me this again check box.
3. To close the prompt, click OK.
4. To load the geometry, right-click the Geometry cell and select Import Geometry from the context
menu.
5. To import the model, double-click the Setup cell or right-click the Setup cell and select Edit from the
context menu.
6. In the Mechanical application window, complete your analysis using the application's tools and features.
Coupled Field Transient

The Coupled Field Transient system determines the time-varying displacements, strains, stresses,
and forces as they respond to any transient loads. The system supports 2D coupled and structural
thermal physics.
solution.
To work through a Coupled Field Transient system:
1. To add a Coupled Field Transient analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
Analysis Systems
downstream Mechanical system by selecting physics types in the Setup cell properties. Both the
Structural and Thermal properties, as illustrated below, are read-only properties that are always
active.
menu.
context menu.
Design Assessment
The Design Assessment system allows you to perform a solution combination for a static structural,
modal, harmonic response, random vibration, response spectrum, explicit dynamics, or transient
structural analysis, and then performing post processing through a customizable script using additional
geometry-associated data and extraction of custom results.
This analysis is configured in ANSYS Mechanical, using the appropriate solver to compute the solution.
To work through a Design Assessment system:
1. Add one of the following systems to the Project Schematic (p. 43):
• Static Structural
• Modal
• Harmonic Response
• Random Vibration
• Response Spectrum
• Explicit Dynamics
• Transient Structural
2. Define the simulation geometry (p. 56).
3. To add a Design Assessment analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox onto the system added
in step 1, sharing the Engineering Data, Geometry, and Model cells.
4. Open the Assessment Type menu using one of the following options:
• Right-click the Setup cell of the system and select Assessment Type from the context menu.
• On the menu bar, select View → Properties to open the Properties pane, then click the Design
Assessment system Setup cell.
5. From the Assessment Type menu, select one of the following options:
• FATJACK (Beam Joint Fatigue) - No longer supported.
• BEAMCHECK (Beam and Joint Strength) - No longer supported.
• Solution Combination Only (default)
• User Defined
For more information on creating the user defined attribute file, see The Design Assessment XML
Definition File in the Mechanical User's Guide.
6. If you have selected a user defined assessment type, import the XML file by either browsing to it or by
selecting one that has been browsed to previously from the list (if available).
Analysis Systems
7. To specify the Mechanical settings, right-click the Model cell and select Edit from the context menu.
See Design Assessment Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on conducting
this analysis.
9. To start the solution, select Solve from the Mechanical application or right-click the Solution cell in
the Project Schematic and select Update from the context menu.
Eigenvalue Buckling
The Eigenvalue Buckling system predicts the theoretical buckling strength of an ideal elastic structure.
This method corresponds to the textbook approach of elastic buckling analysis; for instance, an Eigen-
value Buckling analysis of a column matches the classical Euler solution. However, imperfections and
nonlinearities prevent most real-world structures from achieving their theoretical elastic buckling
strength. The Eignevalue Buckling analysis often yields quick but non-conservative results.
This analysis is configured in ANSYS Mechanical, using the ANSYS or the Samcef solver to compute
the solution.
An Eigenvalue Buckling analysis must follow a prestressed static structural analysis. Follow the instruc-
tions in Static Structural (p. 80) to build a prestressed Static Structural system, and then complete
the following instructions to build and link an Eigenvalue Buckling system.
To work through an Eigenvalue Buckling system:
1. From the Static Structural system, right-click the Solution cell and select Transfer Data to New → Ei-
genvalue Buckling.
A new Eigenvalue Buckling system is created, with the Engineering Data, Geometry, Model,
and Setup cells linked from the static structural system.
2. To open the Mechanical application, from the Eigenvalue Buckling system, right-click the Setup cell
and select Edit from the context menu or double-click the Setup cell.
See Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on conduct-
ing this analysis.
4. On the Project tab toolbar, click Update Project.
Electric
The Electric system supports steady-state electric conduction. Primarily, this analysis type is used to
determine the electric potential in a conducting body created by the external application of voltage
or current loads. From the solution, other results items are computed such as conduction currents,
electric field, and joule heating.
This analysis is configured in ANSYS Mechanical, using the ANSYS solver to compute the solution.
To work through an Electric system:
1. To add an Electric analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic or
double-click the system in the Toolbox.
menu.
3. To open the Mechanical application, right-click the Setup cell and select Edit from the context menu
or double-click the Setup cell.
See Electric Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on conducting this
analysis.
Explicit Dynamics
The Explicit Dynamics system can perform a variety of engineering simulations, including the mod-
eling of nonlinear dynamic behaviour of solids, fluids, gases and their interaction.
This analysis is configured in ANSYS Mechanical.
To work through an Explicit Dynamics system:
1. To add an Explicit Dynamics analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
menu.
See the Explicit Dynamics Analysis Guide for more information on conducting this analysis.
Fluid Flow (CFX)

The Fluid Flow (CFX) system performs fluid-flow analysis of incompressible and compressible fluid
flow and heat transfer in complex geometries.
This system is also used as part of the FSI: Fluid Flow (ANSYS CFX) > Static Structural (p. 189) custom
system.
This analysis is configured in ANSYS CFX.
For detailed information on working with ANSYS CFX, see ANSYS CFX in ANSYS Workbench.
To work through a Fluid Flow (CFX) system:
1. To add a Fluid Flow (CFX) analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic
or double-click the system in the Toolbox.
menu or select New Geometry from the context menu to create it in DesignModeler.
Analysis Systems
3. To create a mesh, right-click the Mesh cell and select Edit from the context menu.
4. Right-click the Setup cell and select one of the following options from the context menu:
• To specify the ANSYS CFX physics definitions in CFX-Pre, select Edit.
• To import a previously saved case file, select Import Case → Browse.
5. Right-click the Solutions cell and select one of the following options from the context menu:
• To start the solver immediately, select Update.
• To set the solver execution controls in CFX-Solver Manager select Edit.
• To import an existing CFX-Solver Results file, select Import Solution → Browse.
6. To analyze the results of the calculations in CFD-Post, right-click the Results cell and select Edit from
the context menu.
Note:
If you import a CFX-Solver Input File into a CFX Setup cell and the reload file format is not
a CFX-Solver Input File (for example, a DEF file) and the Reload Options were not defined
or did not contain a replacetype option, you may need to modify the definition of the
Mesh Reload Options.
If a definition file contains a mesh from a GTM file and is imported into a Setup cell, the
original mesh type is automatically changed to CFX-Solver Input file. If the remeshing process
is not explicitly told to import the GTM file as a GTM file, the remeshing process assumes
that the mesh is also a CFX-Solver Input file, rather than a GTM file.
This fails when the remeshing process runs. This is a limitation and must be modified by
hand. To do this, add a line similar to the following to the DEF file:
Mesh Reload Options = "replacetype=GTM,notransform=false"
See Remeshing Tab in the CFX-Pre User's Guide for details.
Resuming a Failed Run

If your CFX run fails and a backup file is available, you can resume a run from the latest standard
or essential backup, or equivalent transient results file. This capability is especially useful for cases
with very long runtimes to avoid restarting from initial conditions or, if the solver failed due to an
error, reviewing backed up results to diagnose and correct the issue.
To take advantage of this capability, follow these steps when starting your run:
1. Import a case file or begin with an existing CFX setup definition.
2. Open Setup and define backups:
a. From the menu bar, select Insert → Solver → Output Control.
b. Switch to the Backup tab.
For more information on output controls and the Backup tab in CFX-Pre, see Output
Control.
c. Define your backup settings.
Note that only Essential or Standard backup files provide sufficient data for a clean restart.
Additional backup files using the Smallest or Selected Variables option can be included,
but are not available for restarting a solution.
d. Close CFX-Pre.
3. In the Workbench Project Schematic, update the system (p. 205) to start the solution.
4. If the solver fails to write a results file, right-click the Solution cell and select Resume Solution from
Backup from the context menu to resume the solution or Copy Backup to New Solution to review
the results in CFD-Post or keep the backup to use as initial conditions.
• If you selected Resume Solution from Backup, the update continues from the last completed
backup.
• If you selected Copy Backup to New Solution, a new CFX system with only a Solution cell and a
new Results cell is created in the Project Schematic. You can review the results from this system
to determine the status of the solution at the last completed backup point. From there, you can
choose to resume the original interrupted run or you can choose to revise your original case as
necessary.
Note:
The solution is restarted directly from the backup file and includes any modifications
made through the Command Editor. Also, if the setup is modified, Resume Solution
from Backup is not available. To modify the setup and restart from a backup, first
copy the backup to a new solution using Copy Backup to New Solution and link
this backup solution to your solution cell to use it as an initial guess.
Fluid Flow (Fluent)

The Fluid Flow (Fluent) system performs fluid-flow analysis of incompressible and compressible fluid
flow and heat transfer in complex geometries.
This analysis is configured in ANSYS Fluent.
You can use a Fluent fluid flow analysis system to apply a computational mesh to a geometry within
Workbench, then use Fluent to define pertinent mathematical models (for example, low-speed, high-
speed, laminar, turbulent, and so on), select materials, define boundary conditions, and specify solution
controls that best represent the problem to be solved. Fluent solves the mathematical equations, and
the results of the simulation can be displayed in CFD-Post for further analysis (for example, contours,
vectors, and so on).
Analysis Systems
For detailed information on working with Fluent, see the Fluent User's Guide, the Fluent in Workbench
User's Guide, and the other online documentation available under the Help menu within Fluent.
To work through a Fluid Flow (Fluent) system:
1. To add a Fluid Flow (Fluent) analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
3. To create a mesh, right-click the Mesh cell and select Edit from the context menu.
• To specify the Fluent settings, select Edit.
• To import a previously saved Fluent case file, select Import Fluent Case.
• To import previously saved Fluent case and data files, select Import Fluent Case And Data.
the context menu.
Fluid Flow (Polyflow)

The Fluid Flow (Polyflow) systems analyze fluid flows with free surfaces, complex rheology (including
non-Newtonian behavior with viscoelasticity), heat transfer, and chemical reactions.
This analysis is configured in ANSYS Polyflow.
There are three Polyflow fluid flow analysis systems available in Workbench:
• The Fluid Flow (Polyflow) system provides the full simulation capabilities of Polyflow.
• The Fluid Flow - Blow Molding (Polyflow) system provides only the application-specific capabilities of
Polyflow that are suited to blow-molding simulations.
• The Fluid Flow - Extrusion (Polyflow) system provides only the application-specific capabilities of Polyflow
that are suited to extrusion simulations.
Use a Polyflow, Blow Molding (Polyflow), or Extrusion (Polyflow) fluid flow analysis system to apply a
computational mesh to a geometry within Workbench, then use Polydata to define pertinent math-
ematical models (for example, Generalized Newtonian, Viscoelastic, and so on), select materials, define
boundary conditions, and specify solution controls that best represent the problem to be solved.
Polyflow solves the mathematical equations, and the results of the simulation can be displayed in
CFD-Post for further analysis (for example, contours, vectors, and so on).
For detailed information on working with Polyflow, see the online help in Polyflow, the Polyflow User's
Guide, and the Polyflow in Workbench User's Guide.
Harmonic Acoustics
The Harmonic Acoustics system determines the steady-state response of a structure and the sur-
rounding fluid medium to loads and excitations that vary sinusoidally (harmonically) with time.
solution.
To work through a Harmonic Acoustics system:
1. To add a Harmonic Acoustics analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
downstream Mechanical system by selecting physics types in the Setup cell properties. The
Acoustics property, as illustrated below, is a read-only property that is always active.
Analysis Systems
menu.
context menu.
See Harmonic Acoustics Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on conducting
this analysis.
Harmonic Response
The Harmonic Response system determines the steady-state response of a linear structure to loads
and excitations that vary sinusoidally (harmonically) with time.
Use this system to verify whether or not your designs successfully overcome resonance, fatigue, and
other harmful effects of forced vibrations. This analysis technique calculates only the steady-state,
forced vibrations of a structure, typically at a number of discrete points within a range of frequencies.
The transient vibrations, which occur at the beginning of the excitation, are not accounted for in a
harmonic response analysis.
This system is configured in ANSYS Mechanical, using the ANSYS solver to compute the solution.
To work through a Harmonic Response system:
1. To add a Harmonic Response analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
menu.
3. To view the geometry, right-click the Model cell and select Edit from the context menu or double-click
the Model cell.
Alternatively, you can complete this step using the Setup cell.
A mode-superposition harmonic analysis automatically runs the modal portion of the solution
and cannot transfer data from a separate modal system in the Project Schematic.
See Harmonic Response Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on conducting
this analysis.
Hydrodynamic Diffraction
The Hydrodynamic Diffraction system calculates wave forces and structure motions in regular or
irregular waves.
Use this system to apply a computational mesh to a geometry within the Aqwa application and produce
a solution.
This analysis is configured in DesignModeler and solved in ANSYS Aqwa.
Optionally, you can connect a Hydrodynamic Diffraction system Solution cell to a Static Structural
system (p. 80) Setup cell and transfer the data to the Static Structural system.
You can also import a previously saved Aqwa .aqdb file (p. 38) and navigate to the database file.
For detailed information on working with Aqwa in Workbench, see the Aqwa User's Manual.
1. To add a Hydrodynamic Diffraction analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
3. To specify the Aqwa settings, right-click the Setup cell and select Edit from the context menu.
4. In the Aqwa application window, complete your analysis using the application's tools and features.
5. To start the solution, in the Aqwa application select Solve, or right-click the Solution cell and select
Update from the context menu.
Hydrodynamic Response
The Hydrodynamic Response system calculates wave forces and structure motions in regular or ir-
regular waves.
Use this system to apply ocean environment forces (wind, wave, current) to a structure.
This analysis is configured in DesignModeler and solved in ANSYS Aqwa.
You can also import a previously saved Aqwa .aqdb file (p. 38) and navigate to the database file.
For detailed information on working with Aqwa in Workbench, see the Aqwa User's Manual.
1. To add a Hydrodynamic Diffraction analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
3. To add a Hydrodynamic Response analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox onto the system
added in step 1, sharing the Geometry, Model, and Solution cells.
4. To specify the Aqwa settings, right-click the Hydrodynamic Response system Setup cell and select
5. In the Aqwa application window, complete your analysis using the application's tools and features.
6. To start the solution, in the Aqwa application select Solve, or right-click the Solution cell and select
Update from the context menu.
IC Engine (Fluent)
The IC Engine (Fluent) system quantifies flow rate, swirl and tumble, and other flow parameters inside
the IC Engine (Internal Combustion Engines in Workbench) during the engine cycle with moving
geometry.
Analysis Systems
This analysis is configured in ANSYS Fluent.
For detailed information on working with IC Engine (Fluent), see Getting Started With ICE.
To work through an IC Engine (Fluent) system:
1. To add an IC Engine (Fluent) analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
2. In the ICE cell Properties pane, select the type of simulation and specify engine parameters.
3. Right-click the ICE cell and select Update from the context menu.
4. To open DesignModeler, double-click the Geometry cell.
5. To enter the geometry inputs required and generate the features, load the geometry and select Input
Manager.
6. To decompose the geometry, click Decompose.
7. To open the Meshing application, double-click the Mesh cell or right-click the Mesh cell and select Edit
from the context menu.
8. Once the geometry is loaded into the meshing application, select IC Setup Mesh and set the meshing
parameters.
9. To create the mesh, select IC Generate Mesh to create the mesh.
10. Right-click the Mesh cell and select Update from the context menu.
11. To open the ANSYS Fluent application, double-click the Setup cell or right-click the Setup cell and select
12. Enter the number of time steps in the Fluent settings and run the case.
13. To analyze the results of the calculations in CFD-Post, double-click the Results cell.
Magnetostatic
The Magnetostatic system performs 3D static magnetic field analysis. You can model various physical
regions including iron, air, permanent magnets, and conductors.
This system is configured in ANSYS Mechanical, using the ANSYS solver to compute the solution.
To work through a Magnetostatic system:
1. To add an Magnetostatic analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic
menu.
3. To view the geometry, right-click the Model cell and select Edit from the context menu, or double-click
the Model cell.
See Magnetostatic Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on conducting
this analysis.
Modal Acoustics
The Modal Acoustics system models a structure and the surrounding the fluid medium to determine
frequencies and standing wave patterns within a structure.
solution.
To work through a Modal Acoustics system:
1. To add a Modal Acoustics analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schem-
atic or double-click the system in the Toolbox.
downstream Mechanical system by selecting physics types in the Setup cell properties. The
Acoustics property, as illustrated below, is a read-only property that is always active.
Analysis Systems
menu.
See Modal Acoustics Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on conducting
this analysis.
Modal
The Modal system determines the vibration characteristics (natural frequencies and corresponding
mode shapes) of a structure or a machine component. It can serve as a starting point for other types
of analyses by detecting unconstrained bodies in a contact analysis or by indicating the necessary
time-step size for a transient analysis, for example. In addition, the modal-analysis results may be
used in a downstream dynamic simulation employing mode-superposition methods, such as a har-
monic response analysis, a random vibration analysis, or a spectrum analysis. The natural frequencies
and mode shapes are important parameters in the design of a structure for dynamic loading conditions.
This analysis is configured in the Mechanical application, which uses either the ANSYS, ABAQUS, or
Samcef solver to compute the solution, depending on which system you selected.
To work through a Modal system:
1. To add a Modal analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic or double-
click the system in the Toolbox.
menu.
the Model cell.
See Modal Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on conducting this ana-
lysis.
Random Vibration
The Random Vibration system determines the response of structures to vibration loads that are
random in nature. The loads on a structural system may not always be known or quantifiable with
certainty. Sensitive electronic equipment mounted in an automobile, for example, may experience
slightly-different conditions each day, due to changes in engine vibration or pavement roughness,
even if the same road is traveled. Since the input loads are described using statistical quantities, the
outputs are said to be non-deterministic, meaning that the results can be known only within a certain
probability.
This analysis is configured in the Mechanical application, which uses either the ANSYS solver to
compute the solution.
A Random Vibration analysis must follow a Modal analysis that extracts the natural frequencies and
mode shape. Follow the instructions in Modal (p. 77) to build a Modal analysis system and then
complete the following instructions to build and link a Random Vibration system.
Alternatively, you can select the Random Vibration (p. 190) custom system. This option creates a Random
Vibration system template that includes both the Modal analysis and Random Vibration analysis system
templates with the links pre-defined.
To work through a Random Vibration system:
1. From the Modal analysis system, right-click the Solution cell and select Transfer Data to New →
Random Vibration.
Workbench creates a new Random Vibration system. The Engineering Data, Geometry, and
Model cells are linked, and the Modal system Solution cell is linked to the Random Vibration
system Setup cell.
2. To open the Mechanical application, right-click the Setup cell in the Random Vibration system and
select Edit, or double-click the Setup cell.
See Random Vibration Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on conducting
this analysis.
Analysis Systems
Response Spectrum
The Response Spectrum system calculates the maximum response for a given excitation based upon
the input response spectrum and the method used to combine the modal responses. The combination
methods available are the Square Root of the Sum of the Squares (SRSS), the Complete Quadratic
Combination (CQC) and the Rosenblueth’s Double Sum Combination (ROSE). A response spectrum
analysis has similarities to a random vibration analysis. However, unlike a random vibration analysis,
responses from a response spectrum analysis are deterministic maxima.
This analysis is configured in the Mechanical application, which uses either the ANSYS solver to
A Response Spectrum analysis must follow a Modal analysis that extracts the natural frequencies and
mode shape. Follow the instructions in Modal (p. 77) to build a Modal analysis system and then
complete the following instructions to build and link a Response Spectrum system.
To work through a Response Spectrum system:
1. From the Modal analysis system, right-click the Solution cell and select Transfer Data to New → Re-
sponse Spectrum.
Workbench creates a new Response Spectrum system. The Engineering Data, Geometry, and
Model cells are linked, and the Modal system Solution cell is linked to the Response Spectrum
system Setup cell.
2. To open the Mechanical application, right-click the Setup cell in the Response Spectrum system and
select Edit or double-click the Setup cell.
See Response Spectrum Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on conducting
this analysis.
Rigid Dynamics
The Rigid Dynamics system determines the dynamic response of an assembly of rigid bodies linked
by joints and springs. You can use this type of analysis to study the kinematics of a robot arm or a
crankshaft system, for example.
This analysis is configured in the Mechanical application, which uses the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics
solver to compute the solution.
To work through a Rigid Dynamics system:
1. To add a Rigid Dynamics analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic
menu.
the Model cell.
See Rigid Dynamics Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on conducting
this analysis.
Static Acoustics
The Static Acoustics system determines displacements, stresses, strains, and forces in your structure
or structural components that are caused by loads that do not induce significant inertia and damping
effects. Steady loading and response conditions are assumed. The loads and the structure's response
are assumed to vary slowly with respect to time.
it is used as a pre-stress environment for future downstream Modal Acoustics or Harmonic Acoustics
analyses.
This analysis is configured in the Mechanical application, which uses the Mechanical APDL solver to
To work through a Static Acoustics system:
1. To add a Static Acoustics analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic
menu.
the Model cell.
See Static Acoustics Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on conducting
this analysis.
Static Structural
The Static Structural system determines the displacements, stresses, strains, and forces in structures
or components caused by loads that do not induce significant inertia and damping effects. Steady
loading and response conditions are assumed. The loads and the structure's response are assumed
to vary slowly with respect to time.
This analysis is configured in the Mechanical application, which uses the ANSYS, ABAQUS, or Samcef
solver to compute the solution, depending on which system you have selected.
To work through a Static Structural system:
1. To add a Static Structural analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic
Analysis Systems
menu.
the Model cell.
See Static Structural Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on conducting
this analysis.
Steady-State Thermal
The Steady-State Thermal system determines temperatures, thermal gradients, heat flow rates, and
heat fluxes in an object that are caused by thermal loads that do not vary over time. A steady-state
thermal analysis calculates the effects of steady thermal loads on a system or component. Engineers
often perform a steady-state analysis before performing a transient thermal analysis, to help establish
initial conditions. A steady-state analysis also can be the last step of a transient thermal analysis,
performed after all transient effects have diminished.
Important:
By default, the application does not write thermal gradient results to the result file. To
have these results written to the results file, use a Command object and insert the command
OUTRES,ERASE.
To work through a Steady-State Thermal system:
1. To add a Steady-State Thermal analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
menu.
the Model cell.
See Steady-State Thermal Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on con-
ducting this analysis.
See the Thermal Analysis Guide for more information on thermal analyses using the Mechanical
APDL application.
Thermal-Electric
The Thermal-Electric system allows for a simultaneous solution of thermal and electric fields. This
coupled-field capability models joule heating for resistive materials as well as Seebeck, Peltier, and
Thomson effects for thermoelectricity.
This analysis is configured in the Mechanical application, which uses the ANSYS solver to compute
the solution.
To work through a Thermal-Electric system:
1. To add a Thermal-Electric analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schem-
atic or double-click the system in the Toolbox.
menu.
the Model cell.
See Thermal-Electric Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on conducting
this analysis.
Topology Optimization
The Topology Optimization system computes an optimal structural design of your geometry for a
selected region of your model with specified design objectives and constraints. The topology optim-
ization is a physics driven optimization tool that is based on a set of loads and boundary conditions
provided by a preceding Static Structural system, a Modal system or combination of static and
modal analyses.
The environmental conditions of this analysis are configured in the Mechanical application.
To work through a Topology Optimization system:
1. To add a Static Structural or Modal analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
2. Set up the Static Structural (p. 80) or Modal (p. 77) analysis.
3. From the Static Structural or Modal analysis system, select one of the following options:
• Right-click the Solution cell and select Transfer Data to New → Topology Optimization from the
context menu.
• Drag and drop a Topology Optimization system onto the Solution cell of the Static Structural or
Modal system.
• Drag and drop a Topology Optimization system onto the Model cell of the Static Structural or
Modal system.
Analysis Systems
4. If necessary, link the Solution cell of the Static Structural or Modal analysis to the Setup cell of the
Topology Optimization system.
The new Topology Optimization system shares the Engineering Data, Geometry, and Model
cells with the same cells of the Static Structural or Modal system and the Solution cell of the
Static Structural or Modal system links to the Setup cell of the Topology Optimization system.
Note:
Once you link the analyses, automatic property specifications are made in Mechanical
to define the relationship between the systems.
5. To create multiple and/or combined upstream systems:
a. Drag and drop a new Static Structural or Modal system onto the Model cell of the existing Static
Structural or Modal system.
b. Link the Solution cell of the newly added Static Structural or Modal system to the Setup cell of
the existing Topology Optimization system. All analyses systems link as shown in the following
image.
6. To link the Solution cell of the Topology Optimization system to the Setup cell of a Modal or Static
Structural system, right-click the Solution cell and select Transfer Data to New → Modal or Transfer
Data to New → Static Structural.
7. To import the model into Mechanical, right-click the Setup cell and select Edit from the context menu
See Topology Optimization Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on
conducting this analysis.
Design Validation
Once you have completed your Topology Optimization analysis, you can validate the design by
importing the new model into geometry modelling software.
For instructions, see Performing Design Validation in the Mechanical User's Guide.
Throughflow and Throughflow (BladeGen)

The Throughflow system contains cells for conducting a study with Vista TF starting with the geometry
and ending with a report. Throughflow is a Vista TF system with an added Geometry cell and
Throughflow (BladeGen) is a Vista TF system with an added Blade Design cell. For details on the
Vista TF system, see Vista TF (p. 188).
Transient Structural
The Transient Structural system determines the dynamic response of a structure under the action
of any general time-dependent loads. You can use it to determine the time-varying displacements,
strains, stresses, and forces in a structure as it responds to any transient loads. The time scale of the
loading is such that the inertia or damping effects are considered to be important. If the inertia and
damping effects are not important, you might be able to use a static analysis instead.
Analysis Systems
To work through a Transient Structural system:
1. To add a Transient Structural analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
menu.
the Model cell.
See Transient Structural Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide for more information on conducting
this analysis.
Transient Thermal
The Transient Thermal system determines temperatures and other thermal quantities that vary over
time. The variation of temperature distribution over time is of interest in many applications such as
with cooling of electronic packages or a quenching analysis for heat treatment. Also of interest are
the temperature distribution results in thermal stresses that can cause failure. In such cases the tem-
peratures from a transient thermal analysis are used as inputs to a static structural analysis for thermal
stress evaluations. Many heat transfer applications (such as heat treatment problems, electronic
package design, nozzles, engine blocks, pressure vessels, and so on) involve transient thermal analyses.
To work through a Transient Thermal system:
1. To add a Transient Thermal analysis system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
menu.
the Model cell.
See Transient Thermal Analysis for more information on conducting this analysis.
See the Thermal Analysis Guide for more information on thermal analyses using the Mechanical
APDL application. For more information on time stepping, see the discussion on General Options.
Turbomachinery Fluid Flow

The Turbomachinery Fluid Flow system contains cells for conducting a study with ANSYS CFX
starting with the mesh and ending with a report. Turbomachinery Fluid Flow is a CFX system with
an added Turbo Mesh cell. For details on the CFX system, see CFX (p. 89).
Component Systems
Component systems enable you to launch and use familiar stand-alone editors to build a project, but
represent only a subset of a complete analysis. They usually do not include all components and steps
necessary to achieve an analysis system; however, if you are familiar with a particular application, you
can use your product knowledge to complete an analysis.
For example, you can use a geometry component system to define your geometry and then connect
the component system to several downstream systems, so component system can then be connected
to several downstream systems, so that the downstream systems share the same geometry source.
Component systems also include applications that open outside of Workbench (rather than as a tab),
allowing you to use Workbench to manage your analysis data and files. This can be useful for products
such as Mechanical APDL, which uses numerous files during an analysis.
The following component systems are available:

ACP-Pre and ACP-Post
Autodyn
BladeGen
CFX
Engineering Data
EnSight (Forte)
External Data
External Model
Fluent
Fluent (with Fluent Meshing)
Forte
Geometry
ICEM CFD
Icepak
Material Designer
Mechanical APDL
Mechanical Model
Mesh
Microsoft Office Excel
Performance Map
Polyflow
Results
Component Systems
AIM: Study
System Coupling
Turbo Setup
TurboGrid
Vista AFD
Vista CCD and Vista CCD with CCM
Vista CPD
Vista RTD
Vista TF
ACP-Pre and ACP-Post

The ACP-Pre and ACP-Post systems launch ANSYS Composite PrepPost (ACP) for the modeling and
postprocessing of composite models.
For detailed usage instructions and example workflows, see Implementation in Workbench in the ACP
User's Guide.
Autodyn
The Autodyn system launches ANSYS Autodyn, an explicit analysis tool for modeling nonlinear dy-
namics of solids, fluids, gas, and their interaction. This system supports the full range of Autodyn
capabilities including the Explicit Eulerian solvers, mesh free SPH solvers, and explicit solver coupling
(FSI).
Note:
The Explicit Dynamics (p. 68) analysis system supports the FE components of the Autodyn
solver.
The system takes the binary database (.ad) file as input and produces the following output files:
• Results file (.adres) for postprocessing
• Save file (admodel_cycle.adres) for postprocessing and database modification during a run
• History data files (.his, .sum) that record time dependant data at gauge locations and summary data
for materials/parts
• Print file (.prt) recording a text summary of the model definition and results
• Log file (.log) listing solution information and warnings or errors encountered
For detailed information on using Autodyn, see Autodyn User's Manual.
To work through an Autodyn system:
1. To add an Autodyn component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic
2. To connect other systems, right-click the Setup cell, select Transfer Data From New from the context
menu, then select one of the following options:
• Mesh: Inserts a Mesh component system and generates a link between its Mesh cell and the Autodyn
system Setup cell. This option enables the transfer of a mesh from the ANSYS Meshing system into
the Autodyn system.
• Explicit Dynamics: Inserts an Explicit Dynamics analysis system and generates a link between its
Setup cell and the Autodyn system Setup cell. This option enables the transfer of the initial model
defined in the Explicit Dynamics system or the Autodyn system. The initial model includes materials,
mesh, connections, coordinate systems, initial conditions, loads, constraints, and analysis settings.
3. Right-click the Mesh cell of the Mesh component system, or the Setup cell of the Explicit Dynamics
analysis system, and select Update from the context menu.
A CAERep.xml file is produced, and then consumed by the Autodyn Setup cell.
Note:
Any modifications made in Autodyn to a model that originated from an Explicit Dy-
namics system are likely to be overwritten during the update process. Items defined
in the Explicit Dynamics or Mesh system represent the master version of the data.
4. To launch Autodyn interactively, right-click the Autodyn Setup cell and select one of the following
options from the context menu:
• New Model: Opens the Autodyn editor where you can set up a new 2D or 3D Autodyn model, solve,
or postprocess results.
• Edit Model: Opens the Autodyn editor and loads in the database currently associated with system.
You can then further edit the model, solve, or postprocess results.
5. To launch Autodyn with input and reference files specified:
a. Right-click the Autodyn Setup cell and select Import Model from the context menu.
This action imports an existing Autodyn database (.ad file) into the system. Any existing
database associated with the system is replaced. If the import detects that there are other
files in the source directory for the model that is being imported, you are presented with
the option to import all the associated files.
b. Right-click the Autodyn Setup cell and select Edit Model from the context menu.
Autodyn launches in interactive mode, and the input files specified are loaded.
6. To select a user-customized executable, right-click the Autodyn Setup cell and select Select User Ex-
ecutable from the context menu.
This action selects the Autodyn executable file (autodyn.exe) you want to associate with the
system and use for subsequent preprocessing, solving, and postprocessing.
Component Systems
BladeGen
The BladeGen system launches ANSYS BladeGen, a component of ANSYS BladeModeler. The Blade-
Modeler software is a specialized, easy-to-use tool for the rapid 3D design of rotating machinery
components.
With BladeGen, you can re-design existing blades to achieve new design goals or create completely
new blade design. BladeGen imports blade geometry interactively or through files you supply.
BladeGen allows sculpted or ruled element blades with linear or compound lean leading or trailing
edges. Over/Under-Filing can be applied, and leading and trailing edge shapes are easily specified as
a full radius, an ellipse ratio, or a simple cutoff.
For more information on ANSYS BladeGen, see BladeGen User’s Guide.
To work through a BladeGen system:
1. To add a BladeGen component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic
2. To launch BladeGen interactively, right-click the Blade Design cell and select Edit from the context
menu.
3. To launch BladeGen with existing files:
a. Right-click the Blade Design cell and select Import Existing Case from the context menu.
b. Right-click the Blade Design cell and select Edit from the context menu.
CFX
The CFX system launches ANSYS CFX, a general-purpose Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software
suite that performs fluid-flow analysis of incompressible and compressible fluid flow and heat transfer
in complex geometries. You import meshes, specify the materials, boundary conditions, and solution
parameters, solve the calculations, view the results, then create reports using built-in tools.
For detailed information on working with ANSYS CFX, see ANSYS CFX in ANSYS Workbench.
For information on submitting ANSYS CFX jobs to Remote Solve Manager, see Submitting CFX Jobs
to Remote Solve Manager (p. 289).
To work through a CFX system:
1. To add an CFX component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic or
2. To Import a previously saved case file, right-click the Setup cell and select Import Case → Browse.
3. To read a mesh and specify the ANSYS CFX physics definitions in CFX-Pre, Right-click the Setup cell
and select Edit from the context menu.
4. To start the solver:
• Right-click the Solution cell and select Update from the context menu.
• Right-click the Solution cell and select Edit from the context menu, set the solver execution controls
in CFX-Solver Manager, and start the solver.
• To import an existing CFX-Solver Results file, right-click the Solution cell and select Import Solution
→ Browse.
the context menu.
Engineering Data
The Engineering Data system launches the Engineering Data tab, allowing you to define or access
material models for use in an analysis. You can also use the Engineering Data (p. 366) cell with
Mechanical systems.
For more information, see Overview.
To work through an Engineering Data system:
1. To add an Engineering Data component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
2. To add or modify material data, double-click the Engineering Data cell.
EnSight (Forte)
The Ensight (Forte) system launches EnSight, a full-featured postprocessing and analysis tool that
supports visualization and quantitative analysis of simulation results. You can run EnSight as a com-
ponent from within Workbench by activating the EnSight Forte extension. You must have already
installed EnSight as part of the unified installation in order to access the extension. This system uses
Forte solvers for analysis and reads the results into EnSight.
To work through an EnSight (Forte) system:
1. If EnSight (Forte) does not appear in the Toolbox:
a. From the menu bar, select Extensions → Manage Extensions.
b. In the Extensions Manager dialog, select the EnSight Forte extension name.
c. Right-click and select Load from the context menu to run once or Load as Default to load the
extension every time you start Workbench.
Once you've loaded the extension, EnSight (Forte) is listed in the Toolbox as a component
system.
2. To add a Forte component template, drag the template from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic
or double-click the template in the Toolbox.
3. To add an EnSight (Forte) component template, drag the template from the Toolbox to the Project
Schematic, dropping it onto the Solution cell of the Forte system.
Component Systems
4. If required, to connect the EnSight (Forte) system to a structural system, drop the structural system
on the Results cell of the EnSight (Forte) system.
5. Right-click the EnSight (Forte) system header and select Update from the context menu.
6. To launch EnSight with the results loaded, double-click the EnSight (Forte) system Results cell or right-
click the Results cell and select Edit.
External Data
The External Data system allows you to import data from text files into a Mechanical system or a
System Coupling component system. You must specify the data format in order to process the files
in the External Data tab. This information can then be transferred to a downstream Mechanical system
where the data can be applied as loads in an analysis.
Note:
If the project has an External Data system that consumes files stored within the design
point path and multiple design points, updating the multiple design points can cause the
project to fail or produce inaccurate data. When a different design point is run, the External
Data system does switch to the new design point's file path for the files it requires, and
cannot be made to do so within an update of multiple design points.
To work through an External Data system:
1. To add an External Data component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
2. To open the External Data tab, double-click the Setup cell or right-click the Setup cell and select Edit
3. In the Outline of Schematic pane, in the Location column, click .
4. Browse to the location of the file to add.
Note:
Importing files from design point folders within the same project directory (with the
exception of the Current design point) is not supported.
5. Select the file and click Open.
The selected file name, location, and identifier are automatically displayed in the Data Source
column. The identifier is a string that can be used to identify the file in the downstream Mech-
anical application.
6. If required, click the cell in the Description column and type a description for the file.
7. Optionally, to duplicate an existing file, right-click the file in the Data Source column and select Duplic-
ate from the context menu.
8. To assign a master file, select the Master check box next to the required file.
Set a master file so that the system displays and uses the Properties for this file only. The nodal
coordinate data for the selected master file is processed by the mapping utility. Any nodal co-
ordinate data contained in non-master files is skipped.
You can select only one file to be the master file. If you multi-select a master file and non-master
files, the Dimension, Length Unit and Transformation properties in the Definition pane are
hidden. If you duplicate the master file, only one instance is designated as the master file.
9. In the Properties of File pane, input the information required to process the file and apply the data in
Mechanical.
If you select multiple files in the Data Source column, the Properties of File pane displays:
• A value when that value is the same for all selected files
• A blank field when values differ between selected files
• A yellow field when a value is required, but not currently specified for at least one of the files
If you edit any field in the Properties of File pane when multiple files are selected, your change
is applied to all files.
Note:
Although you can multi-select files in the Data Source pane, when you click away
from that pane the highlighting applied to those files disappears. However, the files
remain selected and operations subsequently performed will be applied to all of the
selected files.
Property Description
Dimension Imports data from 2D or 3D models. If the 2D option is selected, you can
import data only at the X and Y coordinates. The Z coordinate is not supported
for the 2D option.
Start Import at Sets the line number at which you want the data import to start. Line numbers
Line start at 1.
Format Sets the format specification used for the file.
If you select Delimited, specify the character that delimits data elements
in a line in the Delimiter Character field. The options are Comma,
Semicolon, Space, Tab, or User-Defined. The latter choice enables you
to specify any character as the data delimiter.
If you select User-Defined, specify the format using the following allowed
format specifiers:
• Decimal floating point: F or f
• Scientific notation (exponent) using E/e character: E or e
• Signed decimal integer: D or d
Component Systems
• Signed integer: I or i
• Character: A or a
• Ignore flag: X or x
Length Unit Specifies the unit system in which source point locations are defined.
Coordinate System Specifies the nature of the source point locations. Options include Cartesian
Type (X, Y, Z) or Cylindrical (R, theta, Z). The default value is Cartesian.
Average Data at If set to Yes, the data at Midside nodes, if not specified, is calculated as
Midside Nodes average of data specified at corner nodes.
Note:
This property is only available when Format Type is Delim-

ited or User Defined and .cdb file is chosen as Master.
Material Field Data When selected, maps values from an external user-defined file to the nodes
or elements of your mode. Once active, Field Variables become available in
the Data Type drop-down menus in the Table of File pane.
X/Y/Z Coordinate Enables you to apply scaling factors or functions to the corresponding column
Data Type selected in the Table of File pane. For example, to scale all values
for the X Coordinate column by 90%, change the X Coordinate text entry to
x*0.9.
When the Coordinate System Type is cylindrical, the X Coordinate will

refer to the radius and the Y Coordinate refers to the angle. By default,
each X, Y, and Z Coordinate is set to x, y, and z.
For a complete list of supported functions, see Working with

Parameters (p. 241). For an example, see Source Point Analytical
Transformations (p. 105).
Note:
When the Dimension type is 2D, the Z Coordinate is not

shown.
Rotations, resulting from specified analytical transformations, do not get

applied to mapped data (pressure, displacement, force) in a downstream
Mechanical system.
In the example below, the line has one integer followed by four exponential data types.
385 8.333333333E-003 9.375000000E-003 3.375000000E-001 0.000000000E+000
In the example below, the line has one integer followed by four exponential data types.
385 8.333333333E-003 9.375000000E-003 3.375000000E-001 0.000000000E+000
The corresponding format is

1i3,4e17.9
Where:
• The first entry is the number of occurrences
• The second entry is the format specifier
• The third entry is the number of characters of data in the definition (including numeric values (0-9),
the letter 'e' (for instances of scientific notation), and any white space and + or - signs)
• The fourth entry is the number of digits after the decimal point.
Tip:
By default, Excel puts a minus sign at the beginning of a negative number but it does
not put a plus sign at the beginning of a positive number, which changes the number
of characters in the negative version of a number. However, if you select a column in
Excel and apply a custom format, you can have a plus sign added to positive numbers.
In Excel's Format Cells dialog box, set the Type with an example of the format for a
positive number and a negative number, separating the two types with a semicolon.
For example:
+00.00E+00;-00.00E+00
10. Based on the format details you specified in the Properties pane, you must define the data types and
their corresponding units in the Table of File pane. The allowed Data Type values include:
• Not • Pressure • Force

Used
• Heat Transfer Coefficient • Velocity
• X
Coordinate • Heat Flux • Stress
• Y • Heat Rate • Strain

Coordinate
Component Systems
• Z • Heat Generation • Body Force Density

Coordinate
• Thickness
• Element
ID • Displacement
• Node ID
• Temperature
Note:
• The Node ID field is useful when the nodal locations and values on nodes are specified
in different files, as is the case when one of the files is specified as "Master". They are not
meant to apply the values directly on the nodes of the target mesh. If a file is set up without
specifying the nodal locations (X/Y/Z), all the points from the file default to (0,0,0). Similarly,
the Element ID field is useful only when used in conjunction with a CDB file.
• Thickness uses the Length Data Unit and the Data Identifier should start with
Thickness.
Tip:
You can multi-select rows (from the left-most column in the Table of File pane), then
right-click to set all highlighted Data Type values or Data Unit values (where applicable)
at the same time.
Column data is ignored if the Data Type is set to Not Used.
When Coordinate System Type is set to Cartesian in the Properties pane, the Data Unit cell
for the X, Y, and Z Coordinates is read-only in the Table of File pane. When Coordinate System
Type is set to Cylindrical, the Data Unit cell for the Y has a combo box that can specify its Data
Unit string (either as Degrees or Radian).
You can change the data identifier from the default string for allowed data types. The data
identifiers are appended to the file identifier, specified in the Properties pane, so that you can
pick the correct source data in the downstream Mechanical application.
A preview of the file is shown in the Preview pane. The first ten imported lines are shown.
When you multi-select files, the Preview pane is disabled and the Table of File pane displays
data in columns that you can sort and filter from the down arrow beside each column heading.
11. To delete files that you have selected (or multi-selected) right-click one of the files in the Outline of
Schematic pane and select Delete from the context menu.
12. To modify any file in the Outline of Schematic pane, in the Location column, click and select a
new file.
13. Switch to the Project tab.
14. If required, link (p. 48) the Setup cell of the External Data to a Model cell or to a Setup cell of a
Mechanical system (except for Rigid Dynamics Systems).
You can modify any file in the Outline pane by browsing to a new file using the browse option
provided in the Location column
Note:
If you modify an External Data system's data file outside of Workbench, you must re-read
the data file. To do so:
1. Right-click the Setup cell
2. Select Re-read Input Files from the context menu.
The Re-read Input Files operation causes Workbench to regard the file as having changed,
whether the file has changed or not, and the status of the Setup cell is updated appropri-
ately.
To add a downstream Mechanical system, either drag a valid analysis system from the Toolbox and
drop it on the appropriate Setup cell of the External Data system, or right-click the Setup cell and
choose the Transfer Data To New context menu option.
For additional information for using the data in a downstream Mechanical application, refer to External
Data Import.
Importing a Trace File into a Mechanical Model Cell

You can import a circuit board’s trace layout file (ODB++ TGZ, Ansoft ANF, BOOL + INFO, or
Icepak COND + INFO) for use by a Mechanical system’s Model cell.
To import a trace file:
2. To open the External Data tab, double-click the Setup cell or right-click the Setup cell and select
4. Browse to the location of the trace file.
Component Systems
The External Data component enables you to perform rigid transformations to the trace file. When
any required transformations are complete, drag the External Data Setup cell to a Mechanical
system’s Model cell.
Note:
• If you import a project from Release 16 that has an External Data system, you will not imme-
diately be able to load in trace files. In order to import a trace file, you must delete the con-
nection between the External Data Setup cell and the downstream Model cell, and then
recreate the connection. The new connection will support the transfer of trace files.
• For trace-file imports, the Table and Preview panes are disabled.
Importing a CDB File as Input

You can import a Mechanical APDL-generated CDB file as a source file.
To import a CDB file:
4. Browse to the location of the CDB file.
The Format Type property is automatically set to .cdb.
CDB files have certain restrictions:
• The Start Import at Line setting is disabled as the entire file is read as data. Delimiter Type, Delimiter
Character, and Format String are also disabled.
• The data is always in the Cartesian global frame-of-reference.
• The Table and Preview panes are disabled, so you cannot specify data types or preview data.
Mechanical APDL CDB files can be added as a master mesh in the External Data system. The file
must be generated using ‘blocked’ formatting (see CDWRITE in the Command Reference). Files
generated in unblocked format are not supported. Only NBLOCK and EBLOCK data will be read
from the file. Elements defined in the EBLOCK command should also have a corresponding element
type and number (ET command) defined in the CDB file. No load/data transfer information is read.
The following element types are ignored during reading of the file:
• Solid168
• Targe169,170
• Conta171,172,173,174,175,176,177,178
• SURF152,153,154,156
Data transfer information must be defined in separate files, which also must be added to the same
External Data system. These files must have a column providing node identifiers that match the
node IDs defined in the Mechanical APDL CDB file. If the data transfer file contains element nodal
values, then both node and element identifier columns need to be defined. Element values are not
supported.
Note:
• An element defined in the CDB file is ignored by the common mapping utility if any of the
below conditions exist. The ignored elements are not used when data is mapped in the
downstream application.
– One or more of the nodes forming the element are not defined in the NBLOCK command.
– The element does not have a corresponding element type and number (ET command)
defined in the CDB file.
• CDB files must contain only solid elements or shell elements, but not both.
• For nodal data transfers, the number of nodes in the Mechanical APDL CDB file must match
the number of data transfer items in all slave files.
• If data is not available at midside nodes, then the Average Data at Midside Nodes property
can be used to specify the data at midside nodes as an average of data at corner nodes.
Importing an ANSYS External Data File as Input

You can import an ANSYS external data file (.axdt) as a source file.
To import an ANSYS external data file:
4. Browse to the location of the ANSYS external data file.
The Format Type property is automatically set to ANSYS External Data File.
The Length Unit property is not available because this information is specified in the file. All length
unit information in the .axdt file must be the same (all meters, for example).
Component Systems
The Start Import at Line setting is disabled as the entire file is read as data. Delimiter Type, De-
limiter Character, and Format String are also disabled.
ANSYS External Data File Format

CFD-Post and the Mechanical application can export external data files (.axdt) that can be used
by the External Data system.
Note:
The Mechanical application does not export temperature data in units of K.
The following is an example of an .axdt file that has been exported from CFD-Post:
[Name]
Plane 1
[Data]
X [m] (X coordinate), Y [m ] (Y coordinate), Z [ m ] (Z coordinate),
Wall Heat Transfer Coefficient [W m^-2 K^-1] (Heat Transfer Coefficient),
Wall Adjacent Temperature [K] (Temperature)
-1.77312009e-02, -5.38203605e-02, 6.00000024e-02, 7.12153496e-06, ...
-1.77312009e-02, -5.79627529e-02, 5.99999949e-02, 5.06326614e-06, ...
.
.
.
[Faces]
369, 370, 376, 367
350, 374, 367, 368
.
.
.
This file contains three blocks, each with one of the labels: [Name], [Data] and [Faces]. The [Name]
block contains the name of the region contained/defined in the file.
The [Data] block contains node coordinates and values. The first line following the [Data] label is
a header that contains a comma separated list of unique labels, units and quantity type for coordin-
ates and values at each node. Units are contained in square brackets and quantity types are contained
in parentheses. Subsequent lines, one per node, contain a comma separated list of data defined in
the header. The [Data] block ends in the line before the [Faces] block label.
The [Faces] block contains definitions for topologically two-dimensional faces (small surfaces), each
by 3 (triangle) or 4 (quadrilateral) points. The points must be ordered to trace a path going around
the face. For proper rendering, the faces should have consistent point ordering, either clockwise
or counterclockwise. Each face is automatically closed by connecting the last point to the first point.
Face connectivity data is listed in the [Faces] block and references the points in the [Data] block,
where the latter are implicitly numbered, starting with 0.
Importing Multiple Data Sets

External data can be configured to efficiently import multiple data sets (for example, from a transient
analysis). It can handle multiple sets through a single file or from multiple files.
To import multiple data sets:
3. In the Outline pane, select the data files using one of the following methods:
• Add one or more files to the Outline pane.
2. Browse to the location of the files.
3. Select one or more files and click Open.
• If you have a list of fully-qualified paths to the files you want, you can copy the list from a text file
or an Excel file and paste it into the Outline pane's Data Source field.
To paste from a flat-text editor (for example, Notepad):
1. List the paths to the files in the editor. Ensure that there are no trailing spaces in the lines.
2. Select all the files and copy them (Ctrl+A, then Ctrl+C).
Component Systems
3. In the Outline pane, click the asterisk.
The line becomes highlighted, and the text Click here to add a file remains visible.
4. Press Ctrl+V to add the files.
4. In the Properties pane, set the properties of the files.
If the files are of the same or similar format, you can multi-select the files to set common
properties.
When you multi-select the files in the Outline pane, you see:
• A value when that value is the same for all selected files.
• A blank field when values differ between selected files.
• A yellow field when a value is required, but is not currently specified for any of the files.
If you edit any field in the Properties pane when multiple files are selected, your change is
applied to all files.
If the X, Y, Z locations of the source points is common between all the files, you can make use
of the “Master” Designation. By designating a “Master” file, all other files use that file's values
for the X, Y, Z locations. This leads to faster user interface set up, as well as much faster mapping
times as the mapping weight calculations need to be done only once and then are shared for
all slave files.
5. Use the Table pane (which is populated from the Format String field in the Properties pane) to
specify the Column data in the file.
You can multi-select the files to fully populate the Table pane. You can span data from all se-
lected files and use various right-mouse button actions to efficiently define the column data.
a. In the Outline pane, multi-select the desired files.
Component Systems
b. In the Table pane, sort the table by Column to order the file data. For example, if you have four
data fields and the first three specify the X, Y, Z locations, sorting by column places the remaining
data-field entries together at the bottom of the column.
c. Select the first row to be changed by clicking on the row number (which is in the table boundary).
d. Press and hold Shift key.
e. Select the last row to be changed by clicking on the row number.
f. Right-click anywhere over the selected cells, select Set Data Type To from the context menu,
and set the desired data type.
Repeat as required to set the data units using the Set Unit To option.
Tip:
If Set Data Type To or Set Unit To are not available, ensure that your mouse
cursor is over the body of the table, not on the table boundary.
6. Select and copy the cell entries in the Combined Identifier column that correspond to the multiple
data sets (using Ctrl+C or right-click and select Copy). These data-identifier strings are used to specify
which data set will be imported at each load step inside Mechanical.
7. Link the External Data system into the desired Mechanical system/cell.
8. Update the External Data system.
9. Edit (or, if editor is already open, refresh) the Mechanical system.
10. Set the required Number Of Steps in the Mechanical Analysis Settings object. Set the step end
times as required (you can copy and paste).
11. As needed, create the desired Imported Load/Thickness in Mechanical.
Component Systems
12. Select the Imported Object, then paste the data identifier text into the appropriate cells inside the
Data pane on the imported object.
13. As required, copy and paste the desired step end times on the Analysis Settings Object and the
Imported Data Object (in the Analysis Time(s) column).
14. Right-click Import Load to invoke the mapping calculations.
15. After mapping has completed, you can review the various mappings by adjusting the Active Row
entry. The graphics render a contour plot of the imported data at the specified row. Additionally, this
data can be exported out of Mechanical by right-clicking the tree object and selecting Export.
Source Point Analytical Transformations

Analytical transformation options can be applied to the source nodal locations. You can enter
constant or functional values that are applied to the x, y, and z (or r, theta, z for cylindrical) values
read from the input file from within the External Data User Interface. For a complete list of supported
functions, go to Expressions, Functions, Quantities, and Units (p. 242). The order of operations for
conversion of the original node locations into a format the common mapping utility uses must be
taken into consideration when setting up analytical transformation functions, rotation, and translation
information.
The nodal data, as well as any unit system information, is read into the common mapping utility.
If any nodal analytical transformation values or functions are provided, they are applied directly to
the nodal coordinates as they are read in from the file. If the data is provided in a cylindrical system,
it is converted into Cartesian coordinates. Once the nodes are in Cartesian, all nodal data is converted
into MKS, so that the mapping utility stores all data in the same unit system. If any rotational in-
formation is provided, this is applied next, followed by any translations.
The following example takes nodal data, written in a cylindrical system, from a ring with an inner
radius of 8 mm and an outer radius of 10 mm and allows an analytical transformation value to be
applied to the radius of the source data, such that it aligns with a smaller ring with an inner radius
of 7.2 mm and an outer radius of 9 mm.
Thermal results on an expanded or stretched ring (inner radius is 8 mm and outer radius is 10 mm)
Sample cylindrical nodal data:
Node Number Radius (mm) Theta (radians) Z Location (mm) Temperature

(–C)
1 8.914523065 –0.247535105 1.6 99.983
2 8.914523065 –0.247535105 1.2 99.984
3 8.914523065 –0.247535105 0.8 99.984
4 8.914523065 –0.247535105 0.4 99.983
5 8.917873803 –0.192647608 1.6 99.983
6 8.917873803 –0.192647608 1.2 99.984
7 8.917873803 –0.192647608 0.8 99.984
8 8.917873803 –0.192647608 0.4 99.983
9 8.927166575 –0.137916029 1.6 99.983
If we simply import the nodal data, you can see how the source nodes are not contained within
the target volume.
Imported temperature load with unmodified source points displayed:
Component Systems
Within the External Data System user interface, you can enter analytical transformation values as
either constants, or as functions of x, y, or z. For our example, we want to scale the source radius
(that is, X Coordinate) by 90%.
Applying a constant analytical transformation scale factor to the radius (that is, X Coordinate) of
the cylindrical source nodal locations:
Updating the schematic and looking at the imported load we see the analytical transformation
value has been applied to the nodal locations and now coincides with the target model.
Imported temperature load with "transformed" source points displayed:
Component Systems
Importing the load generates the following imported load:
Performing System Coupling Simulations Using External Data

You can use Workbench to perform coupled simulations using multiple analysis or component
systems. The External Data system may be used as a source of static (that is, unchanging) data for
other co-simulation participants such as ANSYS Forte or ANSYS Mechanical, as described in the
System Coupling User 's Guide
The System Coupling tutorial Heat Transfer from a Heating Coil is an example of a coupled analysis
using external data. To access tutorials, go to the System Coupling section of the online ANSYS
Help site.
External Data System and System Coupling Configuration

Each External Data system that is connected to the System Coupling system is represented as a
coupling participant in the System Coupling setup. The name of this participant is the name of the
External Data system specified in the Workbench Project Schematic. Since the External Data
system acts as a source of static data, it can only be defined as the source in System Coupling's
Data Transfer definition.
Each input file added to an instance of the External Data system is represented as a coupling region
for the associated coupling participant in the System Coupling setup.
Supported Input File Formats

To use the External Data system as a coupling participant, the ANSYS external data file format
should be used. For information regarding use of this file format, see Importing an ANSYS External
Data File as Input (p. 98).
Component Systems
Supported Data Types

Data types provided by external data that are currently consumable by the System Coupling system
include temperature and heat rate.
In the XML file transferred from the External Data system to System Coupling, if the units of the
coordinates in are not all consistent, an error is reported.
External Model
The External Model component system enables you to import finite element files created outside
of Workbench into Workbench. Supported file formats include:
• Mechanical APDL common database (.cdb)
• Abaqus Input (.inp)
• NASTRAN Bulk Data (.bdf, .dat, .nas)
• Fluent Input (.msh, .cas)
• ICEM CFD Input (.uns)
• LS-DYNA Input (.k)
Important:
External Model only supports .cdb files archived from the Mechanical APDL application
using the Blocked format. As needed, you can import your model into the Mechanical
APDL application and properly archive the model. Use the PREP7 command CDWRITE,DB
to create a compatible file.
Requirements and Restrictions

Note the following processing requirements and restrictions:
• Only data included in the selected External Model file is imported. Furthermore:
– Model assembly is not supported. That is, the /input command for MAPDL files and the *include
command for NASTRAN, Abaqus, and LS-Dyna files are not supported.
– For Abaqus files, if you are using the *Instance command, only the data from the very first command
contained in the file is read. All other data from any additional *Instance command is ignored. The
element and node sets, as well as the materials, that are associated with the first *Instance command
are processed. Any data that follows the first *End Part of *End Instance commands is ignored.
• Scripting commands used to loop over data or generate additional items are not supported.
• The Abaqus scripting command *NGEN is not supported. The commands *NSET, *ELSET, and *NODAL
THICKNESS are the only commands that support the GENERATE parameter.
• Only the first load step of the Abaqus file is read by the External Model system.
• The following capabilities are not supported on the Linux operating systems:
– Data transfer from the Engineering Data workspace.
– Import of LS-DYNA input (.k) files is not supported on Linux.
Geometry
For the listed file types, you can import solid, shell, and line body finite element meshes. The geometry
is automatically synthesized and made available inside Mechanical.
See Importing Mesh-Based Geometry in the Mechanical User's Guide for additional information about
how to process and work with imported geometry data.
Finite Element Data

For Mechanical APDL common database (.cdb), Abaqus Input (.inp), and Nastran Bulk Data (.bdf, .dat,
.nas) files, you can import the following finite element data for use within your simulation.
• Bolt Pretensions and Premeshed • Flexible Remote Connections

Bolt Pretensions
• Named Selections
• Boundary Conditions
• Nodal Orientations
• Composite Plies
• Point Masses
• Constraint Equations and
Couplings • Rigid Remote Connections
• Contact • Shell Thicknesses
• Coordinate Systems • Spring Connectors
• Element Orientations
See Importing Mesh-Based Databases in the Mechanical User's Guide for additional information about
the data types and how to use the data in Mechanical.
Working with the External Model System

Select a link below to jump to steps for working with finite element data from the External Model
system:
Creating and Configuring an External Model System
Transferring Data to Mechanical
Transferring Data to Engineering Data
Note:
If you open Mechanical in such a way that the simulation does not yet include a mesh,
you can use the Open option of the File tab to import an External Model file.
Component Systems
Creating and Configuring an External Model System

To work through an External Model system:
1. To add an External Model component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
Note:
You can drag and drop your mesh file directly onto the Workbench Project
Schematic. The application automatically creates an External Model system linked
to a Mechanical Model system. Any further specification is still required.
2. To open the External Model tab, double-click the Setup cell, or right-click the Setup cell and select
You can now add the files in the Outline tab.
3. In the Outline of Schematic tab, in the Location column, click .
4. Browse to the location of the model files.
5. Select one or more files and click Open.
The selected file names and locations are automatically displayed in the Data Source column
and an entry appears in the Identifier column.
6. If required, update the name in the Identifier column.
By default this is Filen.
7. If required, enter descriptions for the files in the Description column.
8. For ABAQUS (.inp) and NASTRAN Bulk Data (.bdf, .dat, .nas) files, a row labeled Click here to add
support file is added to the schematic that enables you to select and attach additional files to the
parent .inp file, such as node and element files. These attached files are included in the same import
group as the parent file and Mechanical treats them as a package. There is no limit on the number
of .inp files you can add and/or attach.
9. Optionally, you can right-click a file (or files) in the Outline pane and use the context menu to duplicate
them.
All files (whether imported or duplicated) can be sorted or filtered.
10. Once you have opened your files, use the Properties pane to modify the unit system and/or coordinate
system transformation properties. These properties transform the mesh coordinate systems of the
sub-assemblies for proper alignment in Mechanical.
11. If you select multiple files in the Data Source column, the Properties of File pane displays:
• A value when that value is the same for all selected files
• A blank field when values differ between selected files
• A yellow field when a value is required, but not currently specified for at least one of the files.
If you edit any field in the Properties pane when multiple files are selected, your change is
applied to all files.
Caution:
Although you can multi-select files in the Data Source pane, when you click away
from that pane the highlighting applied to those files disappears. However, the files
remain active and any subsequent operations that are applied affect the files.
Table 1: Properties Pane: Definition Section
Unit System The unit system in which the file is defined. Source points are interpreted in
these units.
Important:
When you import a project from a previous release that contains

an External Model system, the Length Unit from that project is
converted to a compatible Unit System. You must confirm that
the Unit System chosen is appropriate; if it is not, choose the
correct system from the dropdown list of consistent unit systems.
The External Model system must have a consistent unit system

before you can perform an update.
Process Enables the External Model system to import node-based components defined
Nodal in the mesh files. The application transfers the data to downstream Mechanical
Components systems as node-based Named Selections. The application renames the
node-based Named Selection objects in Mechanical based on the selection made
in the Object Renaming property.
Nodal This entry field enables you to filter and import only those node-based
Component components that start with a specified name/string value in the mesh files. For
Key example, you want to import only node-based components that start with the
prefix string "nodal_*." Enter that string into this field and the application
filters through all component names and returns only the components that
begin with this key string value.
Process Enables the External Model system to import any element-based components
Element defined in the mesh files. The application transfers data to downstream
Components Mechanical systems as elemental-based Named Selections. The application
renames the element-based Named Selection objects in Mechanical based on
the selection made in the Object Renaming property.
Element This entry field enables you to filter and import only those element-based
Component components that start with a specified name/string value in the mesh files. For
Key example, you want to import only element-based components that start with
the prefix string "elemental_*." Enter that string into this field and the
application filters through all component names and returns only the components
that begin with this string value.
Component Systems
Process Face Enables the External Model system to import any face components defined in
Components the mesh files. The application transfers data to downstream Mechanical systems
as face-based Named Selections. The application renames the face-based Named
Selection objects in Mechanical based on the selection made in the Object Re-
naming property.
Face This entry field enables you to filter and import only those face components
Component that start with a specified name/string value in the mesh files. For example, you
Key want to import only face components that start with the prefix string "face_*."
Enter that string into this field and the application filters through all component
names and returns only the components that begin with this string value.
Process When this option is selected (default), external mesh files are imported into
Model Data Mechanical. Deselect this option to exclude external mesh files. This feature does
not apply to imported Named Selections, Nodal Orientations, Point Masses, Shell
Thicknesses, or Spring Connectors.
Process This option supports .cdb files only. When selected, Mesh200 elements present
Mesh200 in your mesh file are included with your geometry in Mechanical.
Elements
Node and When you connect the Setup cell of an External Model to a Mechanical system,
Element this property controls whether mesh nodes and elements are automatically
Renumbering renumbered to prevent conflicts.
Method
The property's options include Automatic (default) and Offset. The
application does not renumber nodes and elements if you specify Offset.
In this case, and in order to avoid conflicts, use the Node Offset and Ele-
ment Offset fields to prepend your node and element IDs with the positive
number of your choice.
This property requires that the Number of Copies property is set to 0. If

you enter a value in the Number of Copies property, other than zero, the
application requires automatic node and element ID renumbering.
Transformation Use this property to apply a transformation to your upstream model. The
Type transformation options for this property include Rotation and Translation
(default) and Mirroring.
The Rotation and Translation option enables you to translate the origin
of the upstream model along the X, Y, or Z axis or to rotate the model about
its origin in the XY, YZ, or ZX plane.
Using the Mirroring option enables you to import your upstream model
as well as a mirror copy of the model about a specified plane.
Table 2: Properties Pane: Rigid Transformation Section
Number Of When set to zero (default), only the source mesh is transformed. If you specify
Copies a number of copies greater than zero, these will be in addition to the source
mesh. For example, if you import a .cdb file with a single part and set Number
Of Copies to 2, you will get 3 parts in Mechanical.
Transform This property is available only when Number Of Copies is set to 1 or greater.
Original Select the check box if you want to apply the specified transformation to the
source mesh as well as any copies.
Origin X/Y/Z These properties allow you to translate the origin of the model along the X, Y,
or Z axis. If you specify any copies, the translation will be applied relative to the
previous copy (or source mesh in the case of the first copy).
Theta These properties allow you to rotate the model about its origin in the XY, YZ,
XY/YZ/ZX or ZX plane. If you specify any copies, the rotation will be applied relative to the
previous copy (or source mesh in the case of the first copy).
Note:
For the Rotation and Translation option, transformations are applied in the follow-
ing order:
1. Rotation about the Y Axis
2. Rotation about the X Axis
3. Rotation about the Z Axis
4. Translations
Table 3: Properties Pane: Mirror Transformation Section
Plane Point These properties enable you to define the coordinates of a point on the mirroring
X/Y/Z plane.
Plane Normal These properties enable you to define a vector that is normal (orthogonal) to
X/Y/Z the mirroring plane.
Note:
The Plane Point Z and Plane Normal Z properties are hidden for 2D models.
12. To modify any file in the Outline of Schematic pane, in the Location column, click and select a
new file.
13. To delete files that you have selected (or multi-selected) right-click one of the files in the Outline of
Schematic pane and select Delete from the context menu.
14. Update the project (p. 204).
16. If required, link (p. 48) the Setup cell of the External Model to the following cells of a Mechanical
Model or a Mechanical analysis system:
Component Systems
• Model
• Engineering Data (Windows Platform Only)
Transferring Data to Mechanical

Once the External Model system is created, open your mesh files in Mechanical.
To add a downstream Mechanical system:
1. Drag a valid analysis system from the Toolbox onto the Project Schematic.
2. Link (p. 48) the External Model system Setup cell to the Mechanical system Model cell to complete
the connection.
This action deletes the Geometry cell. Multiple model cells in the Project Schematic can link
to one analysis system. See Assembling External Models and Mechanical Models in the Mech-
anical User's Guide for more details.
3. Modify the Mesh Conversion Options associated with the Mechanical Model cell as required.
See Importing Mesh-Based Geometry in the Mechanical User's Guide for more details.
4. Launch Mechanical.
Associativity between External Model and Mechanical

Geometry from External Model (.cdb) files is partially associative. When you have geometry from
multiple External Model system assembled, and you refresh upstream model data into the down-
stream system, any geometry scoping that you have performed on an object in the downstream
analysis is lost for the modified External Model system only. That is, only External Model systems
that you change lose scoping. For example, if you have two External Model systems assembled,
System 1 and System 2, and you have objects scoped to geometry in the assembled system. If you
modify System 1 and then refresh the upstream system, geometry scoping on objects is lost only
for System 1. System 2 experiences no scoping losses. A more robust way to maintain scoping is
to properly define imported named selections or criterion-based named selections. These scoping
features automatically update when the upstream model updating is complete.
Re-reading Modified External Mesh Files

If you change your mesh file, such as making a manual change or as a result of an automated tool,
these types of changes are not automatically updated in Workbench. You must reread your external
data file and update the system to re-import the changed data.
To re-read modified external mesh files:
2. Select Re-read Input Files from the context menu.
4. Select Update from the context menu.
The Re-read Input Files operation causes Workbench to regard the file as having changed
whether the file has changed or not, and the status of the Setup cell changes appropriately.
Transferring Data to Engineering Data

As required, you can incorporate Engineering Data.
To add a downstream Engineering Data system:
1. Drag a valid analysis system, or an Engineering Data system, from the Toolbox onto the Project
Schematic.
2. Link (p. 48) the External Model system Setup cell to the Engineering Data system.
You can link the Setup cell to multiple Engineering Data cells.
3. Launch Engineering Data.
Note:
• Review the supported MAPDL, NASTRAN, and ABAQUSD material commands listed in
the following subsections
• The application creates material names in the Engineering Data workspace based on
the material identifier in the imported file (.cdb, ABAQUS Input, or NASTRAN Bulk Data).
The names include the corresponding (linked) Workbench cell and number as well as
the value in the Identifier column in the External Model setup interface.
MAPDL Material Commands

The following MAPDL material commands are supported when importing material data into the
Engineering Data workspace.
Command Description
MPTEMP The following temperature-dependent material property labels are supported for these
MPDATA commands:
ALPX, ALPY, ALPZ, C, DENS, EX, EY, EZ, GXY, GYZ, GXZ, KXX, KYY, KZZ, NUXY, NUYZ,
NUXZ, PRXY, PRYZ, PRXZ, REFT, MU, MURX, MURY, MURZ, RSVX, RSVY, RSVZ, MGXX
TB Bilinear isotropic hardening (BISO) is the only non-linear material property and label
TBDATA supported.
NASTRAN Supported Material Specifications

The following NASTRAN material properties are supported when importing material data into
the Engineering Data workspace.
Card Properties
MAT1 • Young's Modulus
(Material 1)
Component Systems
Card Properties
• Shear Modulus
• Poisson's Ratio
• Mass Density
• Thermal Expansion Coefficient
• Reference Temperature
MAT2 • 3 X 3 symmetric material property matrix

(Material 2)
• Mass density is supported
• Thermal expansion coefficient vector
• Reference temperature for thermal expansion, if thermal expansion is defined
MAT3 No data is supported. Only the material ID is maintained.

(Material 3)
MAT4 • Thermal Conductivity
(Material 4)
• Specific Heat

(Material 5)
MAT8 • Moduli of elasticity
(Material 8)
• Poisson’s ratio
• Shear moduli
• Mass density
• Thermal expansion coefficients
• Reference temperature for thermal expansion, if thermal expansion is defined
MAT9 • 6 X 6 symmetric material property matrix

(Material 9)
• Mass density is supported
Note:
The stiffness terms must be positive (which requires that all

determinants to be positive). Otherwise, the properties are not
imported.

(Material
10)
ABAQUS Supported Materials Keywords

The following ABAQUS Materials Keywords are supported when importing material data into the
Engineering Data workspace.
Keyword Description
*MATERIAL The NAME parameter is supported.
*ELASTIC • Supported for TYPE = ISOTROPIC, ENGINEERING CONSTANTS, and LAMINA.
• The DEPENDENCIES parameter is not supported.
Material property definition is not processed.
• For TYPE = ISOTROPIC:
– Young's Modulus and Poisson's Ratio are supported.
– If Poisson's Ratio is not specified, 0.3 is the value that is used.
– Temperature is dependency supported.
• For TYPE = ENGINEERING CONSTANTS:
Young's Moduli, Poisson's Ratios, and the Shear Moduli in the principal
directions is supported.
• For TYPE = LAMINA:
– Young's Moduli, Poisson's Ratios, and the Shear Moduli in the principal directions
is supported.
– Temperature dependency is not supported; the data for the first temperature
is used.
*DENSITY • The DEPENDENCIES parameter is not supported.
• Temperature dependency is supported.
*EXPANSION • TYPE = ISOTROPIC only
*PLASTIC • HARDENING = ISOTROPIC only.
• The RATE parameter is not supported.
These stress-strain curves are ignored.
Component Systems
Keyword Description
• Curve must have a positive slope.
*CONDUCTIVITY • Supported for TYPE = ISOTROPIC and ORTHO.
• For TYPE = ISOTROPIC, temperature dependency is supported.
• For TYPE = ORTHO, temperature dependency is not supported; the data for the
first temperature is used.
*SPECIFIC • The DEPENDENCIES parameter is not supported.

HEAT
Fluent
The Fluent system launches ANSYS Fluent, allowing you to complete fluid flow analysis of incompress-
ible and compressible fluid flow and heat transfer in complex geometries.
Within Fluent, a computational mesh is applied to a geometry, pertinent mathematical models are
applied (for example, low-speed, high-speed, laminar, turbulent, and so on), materials are chosen,
boundary conditions are defined, and solution controls are specified that best represent the problem
to be solved. Fluent solves the mathematical equations, and results of the simulation can be displayed
in Fluent for further analysis (for example contours, vectors, and so on).
To work through a Fluent system:
1. To add a Fluent component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic or
Fluent (with Fluent Meshing)

The Fluent (with Fluent Meshing) system (also known as Fluent Meshing or Fluent in meshing mode)
launches ANSYS Fluent, allowing you to complete fluid flow analysis of incompressible and compressible
fluid flow and heat transfer in complex geometries.
Within Fluent in meshing mode, a computational mesh is imported and manipulated. Switch to Fluent
in solution mode where pertinent mathematical models are applied (for example, low-speed, high-
speed, laminar, turbulent, and so on), materials are chosen, boundary conditions are defined, and
solution controls are specified that best represent the problem to be solved. Fluent solves the math-
ematical equations, and results of the simulation can be displayed in Fluent for further analysis (for
example, contours, vectors, and so on).
For detailed information on working with Fluent Meshing, see the Fluent User's Guide as well as the
other on-line documentation available under the Help menu within Fluent Meshing. In addition, see
the Fluent in Workbench User's Guide.
For information on submitting Fluent jobs to Remote Solve Manager, see Fluent (p. 121).
To work through a Fluent (with Fluent Meshing) system:
1. To add a Fluent (with Fluent Meshing) component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the
Project Schematic or double-click the system in the Toolbox.
2. To open Fluent in meshing mode and import a computational mesh, double-click the Mesh cell.
Forte
The Forte system launches ANSYS Forte, allowing you to complete fluid flow analysis of engines and
other detailed reacting systems, employing heat transfer and advanced spray models in complex
geometries and using automated mesh generation.
Import a mesh or allow Forte to mesh on-the-fly with automated mesh generation. Within Forte, a
computational mesh is applied to a geometry, pertinent mathematical models are applied (for example,
low-speed, high-speed, laminar, turbulent, and so on), chemistry and reaction condition are selected,
boundary conditions are defined, and solution controls are specified that best represent the problem
to be solved. Forte solves the mathematical equations, and the results of the simulation can be dis-
played in Forte for further analysis (for example contours, vectors, and so on).
For detailed information on working with Forte see the ANSYS Forte User's Guide as well as the other
on-line documentation available under the Help menu within Forte.
To work through a Forte system:
1. To add a Forte component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic or
• To specify the Forte settings, select Edit.
• To import a previously saved Forte project, select Import Forte Project.
Component Systems
• To import previously saved Forte replay file, select Replay Journal.
Geometry
The Geometry system launches either ANSYS Discovery SpaceClaim or ANSYS DesignModeler, allowing
you to create and import a model. It also allows you to import an existing geometry file.
You can also import BladeGen model files into DesignModeler using the BladeEditor feature.
BladeEditor provides a seamless path to both structural and fluid analysis, which enables you to effi-
ciently transition from preliminary blade design, to full 3D viscous flow analysis, and finally to your
native CAD system. BladeEditor features are available in DesignModeler depending on your license
preferences. To set the license preferences for running BladeEditor, follow the instructions in Config-
uring the ANSYS BladeModeler License. For more information on ANSYS BladeEditor, see ANSYS
BladeEditor help.
You can set your user preferences to select your preferred editor as default. For more information,
see Geometry Import (p. 352).
For more information on the geometry capabilities in Workbench, see DesignModeler Project
Schematic Operations in the ANSYS DesignModeler User's Guide
To work through a Geometry system:
1. To add a Geometry component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic
You can also drag a geometry file to the Project Schematic. A Geometry component system is
created with the geometry file attached.
2. Right-click the Geometry cell and select one of the following options from the context menu:
• To open SpaceClaim, select New SpaceClaim Geometry.
You can then build a model using its features. When you save the geometry, the file becomes
an .scdoc file.
• To open DesignModeler, select New DesignModeler Geometry.
You can then build a model using its features. When you save the geometry, the file becomes
an .agdb file.
• To import an existing geometry file, select Import Geometry.
ICEM CFD
The ICEM CFD system launches ANSYS ICEM CFD. This application extends ANSYS meshing capabilities
with robust and varied geometry import, the ability to efficiently mesh large or complex models with
extended meshing controls, advanced interactive blocking tools for structured or unstructured mesh
generation, extended mesh diagnostics, advanced interactive mesh editing, and output to a wide
variety of solver formats including CFD, FEA, and neutral formats.
ANSYS ICEM CFD can input geometry in almost any format, whether a commercial CAD design
package, third-party universal database, scan data, point data, or even combinations of CAD, facets,
and mesh. It includes a variety of "patch independent" meshing methods which are able to work with
dirty cad and does not require that surfaces be formed into solids or that flow volumes be extracted.
It does include a wide range of interactive geometry, blocking and mesh editing tools that can be
used to generate advanced or high quality meshes for any application.
The data-integrated ICEM CFD component system, or “ANSYS ICEM CFD Add-in”, enables you to
launch ICEM CFD from ANSYS Workbench and use it to build a project, with the option of adding
upstream data from Geometry, Mesh, Mechanical Model, or combined Geometry and Mesh system
components. You can also use ICEM CFD to provide data to downstream component systems, such
as ANSYS Forte, ANSYS CFX, ANSYS Polyflow, FENSAP-ICE, and Mechanical APDL.
Component Systems
Elements of the ICEM CFD Component
The ICEM CFD component system contains the following cells.
Cell Description
System Identifies the component type and provides access to standard Workbench context menu
header options (p. 376).
Model Modifies some aspects of the project and opens the project in ICEM CFD.
The Model cell context menu items include the following:
• Edit: Opens the ICEM CFD application and loads an existing Geometry/ICEM CFD file.
• Duplicate: Copies the entire geometry and mesh data, enabling you to edit the Model
cell in the duplicate system to investigate an alternative modeling approach.
• Transfer Data From New: Enables the transfer of data from upstream Geometry, Mesh,
Mechanical Model, or combined Geometry and Mesh components.
Note:
If the Geometry cell option Use Associativity is On (its default setting),

Part Reference IDs are stored in a Workbench database and remain
persistent in ICEM CFD even if the topology of the geometry is changed.
• Transfer Data to New: Enables the transfer of data from an ICEM CFD project to
downstream data-integrated system projects, such as:
– Forte
– CFX
– Polyflow
– FENSAP-ICE
– Mechanical APDL
Cell Description
• Update, Refresh, Reset, Rename, Properties, and Add/Edit Note. These standard
actions are described in System Header Context Menu Options (p. 376).
• Create Subset(s) from Named Selection: Transfers overlapping named selections to

multiple subsets instead of to exclusive parts if this option is set. This creates geometry
subsets instead of parts, allowing you determine the part where the geometry entity
(point/curve/surface) should be associated. When this option is disabled, each geometry
is assigned to only one part, losing association with other named selections (which are
mapped to parts).
Parameters Displays and allows you to edit input and output parameters for ICEM CFD.
(optional)
Note:
Scripts written in ICEM CFD may not be parametric with upstream or downstream projects.
Care should be taken to write scripts whose functions do not exceed the capabilities of
the upstream or downstream component systems.
Creating an ICEM CFD Component

You can create an ICEM CFD component system in Workbench using any of the following methods:
• Double-click the ICEM CFD system template in the Toolbox.
• Drag-and-drop the ICEM CFD system template onto the Project Schematic.
• Right-click a Geometry or Mesh system and select Transfer Data to New → ICEM CFD.
• Import (p. 37) a standalone ICEM CFD project into Workbench.
Updating ICEM CFD Projects

Updating a project in Workbench brings the entire ICEM CFD system up to the most current status,
including upstream and downstream data.
Changes that require you to update your ICEM CFD project include changes to upstream data and
changes you make in the ICEM CFD editor. When changes are made, the cell in the Project
Schematic window indicates that an update is required. Note, however, that changes made in the
ICEM CFD editor will not cause the system to go out of date until the project, tetin file (geometry),
blocking file, and/or Replay file are saved.
The actions taken by Workbench depend on whether the following conditions are met:
• Blocking exists.
• A Replay file exists.
• Blocking parameters are set.
• Other input parameters are set.
Component Systems
The following table describes the actions performed by ICEM CFD according to these conditions:
Blocking Replay Blocking Other Actions performed by ICEM CFD

File Input Input
Parameters
Parameters
No No No No 1. Runs tetra default meshing.
2. Saves the unstructured mesh.
3. Saves the project
Yes No No No 1. Runs hexa default meshing.
3. Saves the project.
No No No Yes 1. Sets all input parameters.
2. Runs tetra meshing. Runs prism meshing if any Part

PART_NAME: Prism input parameters exist. (See Setting
Parameters for Prism Meshing (p. 135).)
No Yes No Yes 1. Sets all input parameters.
2. Runs the Replay file.
No Yes Yes Yes 1. Sets all input parameters except blocking parameters.
3. If blocking now exists:
a. Sets blocking input parameters.
b. Runs hexa meshing.
c. Converts pre-mesh to unstructured.
d. Saves the unstructured mesh
Yes No Yes Yes 1. Sets all input parameters.
2. Sets blocking input parameters.
Blocking Replay Blocking Other Actions performed by ICEM CFD

File Input Input
Parameters
Parameters
3. Runs hexa meshing.
4. Converts pre-mesh to unstructured.
Yes Yes Yes Yes 1. Sets all the input parameters except blocking.
3. If blocking still exists:
a. Sets blocking input parameters.
b. Runs hexa meshing.
c. Converts pre-mesh to unstructured.
d. Saves the unstructured mesh.
ICEM CFD saves the unstructured mesh and project only if the ICEM CFD project is closed and you
update from Workbench. If the ICEM CFD project is open, you must manually save the unstructured
mesh and project.
Meshing input parameters are set before the Replay file is run; blocking Input parameters are set
after a replay file is run, but only if blocking exists after the replay file is run.
If no Replay file exists, the default mesher is determined by the presence or absence of blocking:
if no blocking exists in the project, tetra is the default. Conversely, if blocking exists in the project,
hexa is the default mesher.
Updating a Project
To update a project and refresh upstream and downstream data, right-click the Model cell and
select Update.
Note:
If available, Update uses the ICEM CFD Replay file to update the ICEM CFD project.
Interface Differences in the Data-Integrated ICEM CFD

The data-integrated ICEM CFD interface has been modified to provide additional functionality that
enhances the integration of ICEM CFD and Workbench.
Component Systems
• One-click menus that enable you to control basic project and Replay Recording functions.
Note:
If you create Workbench input parameters and want to step through the script line-
by-line or using a line range, you must open the Workbench Replay Control dialog
from this menu.
• The Workbench Replay Control dialog enables you to test and edit Replay scripts created within
Workbench.
You can ensure that you are working within the data integrated environment by checking the
Message window within ICEM CFD. The first line identifies that the application is integrated in the
Workbench framework.
One-Click Menus
The following one-click menu options are available in the Toolbar when you open ICEM CFD from
Workbench:
• Save Project: Saves the entire project, including Workbench data.
• Refresh Project: Refreshes the upstream data in the ICEM CFD project.
• Update Project: Brings the entire ICEM CFD system up to the most current status, including up-
stream and downstream data.
• Start Replay Recording: Begins recording the commands needed to generate a custom meshing
process. All of the steps in the mesh development process are recorded, including blocking, mesh
size, edge meshing, boundary condition definition, and final mesh generation. See Replay Scripts
in the ANSYS ICEM CFD Help Manual. After you click the Start Replay Recording icon, the icon
changes to the Stop Replay Recording icon. You can click this icon to stop recording.
You can also click the arrow to choose Pause Replay Recording, Run Replay File, Delete
Replay File, and Replay Control, which opens the Workbench Replay Control dialog.
Note:
If you create Workbench input parameters and want to step line by line or using
a line range through a replay file, you must use the Replay Control item from
this menu to start the Workbench Replay Control dialog.
• Output Mesh: You can choose to save the ICEM CFD mesh output to one of several formats including
Forte, CFX, Polyflow, ANSYS Meshing, or FENSAP-ICE projects.
Workbench Replay Control Dialog

The Replay Control dialog helps you create, test, and edit script files by performing operations in
ANSYS ICEM CFD and recording the equivalent Tcl/Tk commands in a Replay file. You can then use
the dialog to step through and edit the script.
The Workbench Replay Control dialog works exactly the same as the standalone Replay Control
dialog, with two key exceptions:
• The Workbench Replay Control dialog supports Workbench input parameters and allows you to
step through them.
• The dialog automatically loads the current Replay script file (ICM.rpl) instead of opening a file
browser.
Component Systems
For more information, see the Replay Scripts in the ANSYS ICEM CFD Help Manual.
Setting Parameters
Using input parameters in Workbench enables you to pass data to ICEM CFD, while output parameters
allow you to receive data back from ICEM CFD. The interaction of parameters between applications
provides you with greater flexibility and capabilities to run optimization and what-if scenarios. For
more information about using parameters in Workbench, see Working with Parameters and Design
Points (p. 241).
Parameters may be set globally or individually, with individual parameters taking precedence over
global values.
You can perform the following operations involving parameters:
• Setting Input Parameters (p. 132)
• Setting Workbench Mesh Parameters for Parts (p. 134)
• Setting Parameters for Prism Meshing (p. 135)
• Setting Output Parameters (p. 135)
• Setting User-Defined Parameters (p. 137)
• Deleting Parameters (p. 139)
Setting Input Parameters

Clicking the box to the right of certain Meshing Input parameters enables you to select whether
the parameter is controlled from within ICEM CFD or from within Workbench. A “P” in the check
box indicates that it has been selected as a Workbench input parameter. If the check box is empty,
you can control the input from within ICEM CFD.
You can set the following input parameters in Workbench:
• Global Mesh Size (See Global Mesh Size in the ANSYS ICEM CFD Help Manual ).
• Shell Meshing (See Shell Meshing Parameters in the ANSYS ICEM CFD Help Manual).
• Volume Meshing (See Volume Meshing Parameters in the ANSYS ICEM CFD Help Manual).
• Prism Meshing (See Prism Meshing Parameters in the ANSYS ICEM CFD Help Manual).
• Surface Mesh Setup (See Surface Mesh Setup in the ANSYS ICEM CFD Help Manual).
• Curve Mesh Setup (See Curve Mesh Setup in the ANSYS ICEM CFD Help Manual).
• Edge Params (See Edge Params in the ANSYS ICEM CFD Help Manual).
• Vertex Location (See Set Location in the ANSYS ICEM CFD Help Manual).
Tip:
• If you create Workbench input parameters and want to step line by line or using a line
range through a replay file, you must use the Workbench Replay Control item from the
One-Click menu to start the Workbench Replay Control dialog.
• For Surface Mesh Setup, Curve Mesh Setup, and Edge Params, you can set parameters
for all existing surfaces, curves, or edges at once; in addition to setting a parameter for a
single surface, curve, or edge.
• Parametrized edges and vertices (location) can be easily located in the graphics display.
Use Edges → Show Parameterized Edges, under Blocking in the Display Tree to color
all parametrized edges red. Similarly, Vertices → Show Parameterized Vertices will color
the parametrized vertex number red.
Component Systems
Setting General Input Parameters
To set input parameters in Workbench:
1. In ICEM CFD, select an input parameter.
2. Select the check box next to the parameter.
3. To confirm the selection, click Yes.
A P in the check box indicates that the parameter has been created for Workbench.
Note:
You will not be able to edit the parameter within ICEM CFD unless you click the
check box again and deselect the parameter.
4. In Workbench, double-click the project’s Parameters cell.
5. Edit the parameter values in the Outline of Schematic: Parameters pane.
You can now update the project using the new parameter settings.
Setting the parameters for a single curve, surface, or edge
To set single curve, surface, or edge parameters in Workbench:
1. In ICEM CFD, open the Surface Mesh Setup, Curve Mesh Setup, or Edge Params parameters from
the Tab menu.
2. At the top of the Parameters window, click Select.
3. To select the curve, surface, or edge for which you want to set parameters, click the Left Mouse
button
4. Click the Middle Mouse button to complete the selection.
The surface, curve, or edge you selected are listed in the selection entry.
5. Select the check box next to the parameter you want as the input parameter.
Setting the Parameters for All Existing Curves, Surfaces, or Edges
To set single curve, surface, or edge parameters in Workbench:
1. In ICEM CFD, open the Surface Mesh Setup, Curve Mesh Setup, or Edge Params parameters from
the Tab menu.
2. Leave the surface, curve or edge selection field empty (do not select any surface, curve or edge).
3. Select the check box next to the parameter you want as the input parameter.
Setting Workbench Mesh Parameters for Parts

The Part Mesh Setup parameters allow you to specify the mesh parameters for different parts
of a geometry.
For more information, see Part Mesh Setup in the ANSYS ICEM CFD Help Manual.
To create a Workbench mesh parameter for a part:
1. Switch to the Mesh tab.
2. Click the Part Mesh Setup icon.
3. In the Part Mesh Setup dialog, select a part and assign non-zero values to one or more of its
parameters.
4. Click the Parameter column for the part.
5. A dialog asks you to confirm that you want to create a Workbench parameter for each value you
have changed.
Note:
If any Workbench parameters are already set for the part, a dialog will ask if you
want to delete that Workbench parameter.
Parameters assigned as Workbench parameters are highlighted in blue.
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To delete a parameter, click in the Parameter column. A dialog asks you to confirm that you
want to delete each individual Workbench parameter in the row.
As with ICEM CFD, the Apply inflation parameters to curves and Remove inflation parameters
from curves options affect Workbench parameter behavior as well. The current value of Apply
inflation parameters to curves is saved to the project file/.aienv_options file, so it
is always available in GUI or Batch mode.
Setting Parameters for Prism Meshing

You can add prism meshing parameters using the Part Mesh Setup dialog box.
To set parameters for prism meshing:
1. Switch to the Mesh tab.
2. Click the Part Mesh Setup icon.
3. In the Part Mesh Setup dialog box, select a part and select the check box in the Prism column.
4. Click the Parameter column for the part.
5. A dialog asks you to confirm that you want to create a Workbench parameter for Part PARTNAME:
Prism.
Note:
If any Workbench parameters are already set for the part, a dialog asks if you
want to delete that Workbench parameter.
Setting Output Parameters

You can set Workbench output parameters to:
• List unstruct mesh and pre-mesh blocking quality metrics
• List the number of mesh errors and possible problems
• List the number of element and block types created.
You set the output parameters within the ICEM CFD application, then view them in either Work-
bench or ICEM CFD.
Setting Output Parameters
To set the output parameters:
1. In ICEM CFD, select Settings → Workbench Parameters → Workbench Output Parameters.
2. Optionally, select the Output quality metrics check box to select quality metrics.
a. Use the Quality Metrics drop-down menu to select the metric you want to set.
b. Click the radio buttons to select the mesh types to check for the metric.
3. Optionally, select the Output number of elements check box and select the check boxes next to
the element types where you want an output.
4. Optionally, select the Output Check Mesh check box and select the check boxes next to the errors
you want to have tallied in the output results.
ICEM CFD performs an analysis as part of the meshing process and list the results in the
Output window and in the Workbench Parameters window.
5. To set the blocking output parameters, select the Output Pre-Mesh Quality and Output Number
of Blocks check boxes.
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For more information about pre-mesh quality, see Determining the Pre-Mesh Quality in the
ANSYS ICEM CFD User's Manual.
For more information about Hexa Block types, see Hexa Block Types in the ANSYS ICEM CFD
User's Manual.
Deleting Output Parameters
To set the output parameters:
1. In ICEM CFD, select Settings → Workbench Parameters → Workbench Output Parameters.
2. In the Workbench Output Parameters window, select one or more of the following options, as
required:
• Delete all quality metrics output parameters
• Delete all number of elements output parameters
• Delete all Pre-Mesh Quality output parameters
• Delete all Number of Blocks output parameters
3. Click OK.
Setting User-Defined Parameters

Setting user-defined parameters provides flexibility and control over the meshing operation. For
example, parameters that cannot be applied as single input parameters can be individually set
with user-defined parameters.
Note:
See the ANSYS ICEM CFD Programmer's Guide for information about using user-defined
parameters with replay scripting.
Setting User-Defined Input Parameters
To set user-defined input parameters:
1. In ICEM CFD, select Settings → Workbench Parameters → Workbench User Defined Parameters.
2. In the Workbench User Defined Input/Output Parameters window, select the Create Input
Parameter check box.
3. Enter a value for Parameter name.
4. Enter a value for Parameter. This field must not be empty.
5. Click Apply or OK.
You can edit this value in the Outline of Schematic: Parameters pane.
Setting User Defined Output Parameters
To set user-defined output parameters:
2. In the Workbench User Defined Input/Output Parameters window, select the Create Output
Parameter check box.
3. Enter a value for Parameter name.
4. Enter a value for IC Function.
The IC Function must start with ic_geo_ or ic_uns_ or ic_hex_ and must return an
integer or a float value.
Component Systems
Note:
See the ANSYS ICEM CFD Programmer's Guide for information about IC functions.
Deleting Parameters
Use this procedure to delete any input or output parameter, whether user-defined or otherwise.
To delete parameters:
2. In the Workbench User Defined Input/Output Parameters window, select the Delete Input/Out-
put Parameter check box.
3. Using the drop-down menu, select the name of the parameter you want to delete.
User-Defined Parameters Example

This example illustrates how you can use user-defined parameters to test different meshing scen-
arios for a simple box:
1. To add a data-integrated ICEM CFD component system to the Workbench Project Schematic, in the
Toolbox, double-click ICEM CFD.
2. To open ICEM CFD, double-click the Model cell.
3. First, create an input parameter, ZSIZE, that you can manipulate from Workbench.
a. Select Settings → Workbench Parameters → Workbench User Defined Parameters.
b. Click Create Input Parameter.
c. Name the parameter ZSIZE and set Parameter Value to 2.
d. Click OK.
4. Now create a box model to perform a meshing operation on. Record the process so the operation
can be performed again when you update it from Workbench.
a. Click Start Replay.
b. Switch to the Geometry tab.
c. Select Create/Modify Surface.
d. In the Create/Modify Surface window, select Standard Shape.
e. Select Box and click Apply.
f. Switch to the Mesh tab.
g. Select Compute Mesh.
h. Select Volume Mesh and click Compute.
i. To use autosizing for the mesh size, click Yes.
j. Click Stop Replay Recording.
k. To save the project, select File → Save Project.
5. Next, edit the script to use the input parameter.
a. From the One-Click Replay Recording menu, select Workbench Replay Control.
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b. Click Edit.
c. Change Line 16 (or whichever line is appropriate) from ic_vid_objectbox8 GEOM 00 {0

0 0} 1 1 1 to ic_vid_object box8 GEOM 00 {0 0 0} 1 1
[ic_wb2_get_parameter user_defined ZSIZE]
d. Select File → Save.
e. Close the Edit window.
f. Click Save save the file as ICM.rpl.
g. Click Done.
Do not close ICEM CFD.
6. Now you can change the input parameter through Workbench.
a. In the Workbench Project Schematic, double-click the Parameters cell of the ICEM CFD com-
ponent.
b. Change the value of ZSIZE to 5.
c. Return to the Project tab.
d. Right-click the Model cell and select Update.
You can watch the Replay script run using the new parameter in the ICEM CFD interface. Each time
you change the ZSIZE parameter in Workbench, a new part will be generated and meshed with
the new ZSIZE parameter value.
Transferring an ICEM CFD Project to Static Structural

When you create a project that transfers ICEM CFD data downstream to a Static Structural system,
data that is applied to the geometry, such as load data, is not transferred to the structural system.
To work around this limitation, you can use an External Model system as a bridge between the two
systems and then manually set the connections between them.
To transfer an ICEM CFD project to Static Structural:
1. To start with an ICEM CFD component, do one of the following:
• To select an existing ICEM CFD project, select File → Import.
• Drag an ICEM CFD component system onto the Project Schematic and then click the model to
open the ICEM CFD Add-In and create your model.
2. Drag an External Model system from the Toolbox and drop it on the ICEM CFD system.
Note that they are connected through the Model cell.
3. Drag a Static Structural system from the Toolbox and drop it on the Project Schematic as a stan-
dalone system.
Tip:
If you drag the Static Structural system and drop it on the External Model system,
the two cells link Model to Engineering Data, and model information is not passed
downstream.
4. Drag the Model cell from the External Model system and drop it on the Model cell of the Static
Structural system.
5. Right-click the Model cell of the ICEM CFD system and select Update from the context menu.
6. Right-click the Model cell of the External Model system and select Update from the context menu.
The model is now ready to use within Static Structural.
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Icepak
The Icepak system launches ANSYS Icepak. This application allows engineers to model electronic
designs and perform heat transfer and fluid flow simulations. You can construct your model geometry
or import model data from other CAD and CAE packages. Icepak then creates a mesh for your model
geometry and passes the mesh and model definition to the solver for computational fluid dynamics
simulation. The resulting data can then be postprocessed using Icepak and/or CFD-Post.
Workbench has the capability of coupling Ansoft steady-state to Icepak steady-state cases and Ansoft
transient to Icepak steady-state cases.
To work through an Icepak system:
1. To add an Icepak component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic or
2. Right-click the Setup cell and select Edit or double-click the Setup cell. This launches Icepak.
3. Create a geometry within the Icepak application.
After creating a geometry, the system displays the cell state as Unfulfilled (p. 367).
The Update Required icon ( ) indicates the system has not been solved.
4. In Icepak, set up the problem and complete your analysis using Icepak's tools and features.
After solving, the Icepak system displays an up to date cell state as shown below.
The Up to Date icon ( ) indicates that all necessary files are loaded and up to date.
5. Load or import an existing Icepak model by selecting one of the following options:
• To load an existing Icepak model, right-click the Setup cell and select Import Icepak Project.
• To import an existing Icepak model:
1. Right-click the Setup cell and select Import Icepak Project From .tzr.
2. Click Browse
3. In the dialog box, browse the directory structure and select the model to load.
The system displays an incomplete cell state.
The Update Required icon ( ) indicates the system has not been solved.
Icepak project files are located in the system directory under IPK. All Icepak projects saved in
Workbench follow this naming convention which is described in Project Directories (p. 237). All
other Icepak projects can be saved anywhere. Note, there are no special icons for Icepak projects
to differentiate them from other files.
Note:
You can only import one Icepak project per system.
6. In Icepak, set up the problem and complete your analysis using Icepak's tools and features.
After solving, the Icepak system displays an up to date cell state as shown below.
Note:
If you load an Icepak project that already has a solution, the Solution cell state will
show an up to date cell state after the model is loaded.
7. You can also import geometry into Icepak from DesignModeler. See the DesignModeler to Icepak (p. 147)
section for details on importing geometry from DesignModeler into Icepak or loading a geometry.
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Workbench Menu Options Overview for Icepak Projects

Many Icepak options remain the same when running Icepak from the Workbench framework.
However, there are a few changes that should be noted.
Menu Description
Item
Save Saves all changes to your project. The Save button in Workbench works the same way as
project Save project in Icepak, you can use either one. All Icepak projects saved in Workbench will
follow the directory structure described in Project Directories (p. 237). See Saving a Project
File (p. 229) for a description of Save and Save as options in Workbench.
Archive Generate a single archive file that contains all project files. This archive includes the project
file and all files in the project_name_files directory, not just Icepak files. The archive is saved
as a zip file. Icepak users familiar with the Pack option in the standalone Icepak application
will find this option works in a similar fashion except that all Workbench files are archived.
See Archiving a Project (p. 230) for a complete description of the Archive option in Workbench.
Note:
Previously imported external files from a restored archive directory are treated
as internal files if archived again.
Icepak Context Menu Options

When the Icepak system is active in the Project Schematic, use the right mouse button to initiate
the following Setup cell actions.
Menu Description
Item
Edit Launches Icepak. This is the default operation.
Import Opens a Browse dialog box to add an input file, then launches Icepak and reads the input
Icepak files. This is the default action. This option is available only when a project is empty.
Project
From
.tzr
Import Opens a Browse For Folder dialog box to add an input file, then launches Icepak and
Icepak reads the input files. This is the default action. This option is available only when a project
Project is empty.
Duplicate Creates a duplicate of the Icepak system and any upstream data. If the duplicate operation
is performed on a system containing a solution, the solution is transferred and you must
re-solve. The system cell state indicates the need to re-solve.
Transfer Creates a second, dependent (connected) system with the existing system.
Data
From
New
Update Updates the system if data is changed or modified. You have the option to incorporate
the changes in the Refresh Input Data pane and initiating the solver inside Icepak. See
Menu Description
Item
DesignModeler to Icepak (p. 147) for a further description of the update option and how
the Refresh Input Data panel is used.
Note:
You must open the Icepak editor before doing an update.
Refresh Refreshes the system if data is changed or modified. You have the option to incorporate
the changes in the Refresh Input Data panel. See DesignModeler to Icepak (p. 147) for a
further description of the refresh option and how the Refresh Input Data panel is used.
Note:
You must open the Icepak editor before doing a refresh.
Rename Renames the system or cell.

Properties Displays applicable cell properties in the Properties pane.
Enable Allows you to run the solution if data is unchanged. This changes the Setup cell icon from
Update a green check mark to the Update lightning icon.
Quick Displays a quick help panel for the cell. Quick help provides a brief description of how to
Help use the cell in its current state. You can also click the blue triangle in the lower right corner
of a cell to view quick help.
The Solution cell actions are similar to those of the Setup cell; however, there are additional actions
and functions. These are described in the list below. Use the right mouse button to initiate the
following Solution cell actions.
Menu Description
Item
Set Opens an Open dialog box where you can specify an Icepak solution file to load. This option
Case is used primarily to view multiple solutions for a project. If the you re-solve in Icepak, the
File... solution case file is overwritten with the latest solution.
Transfer Creates a downstream system that can accept data from the selected cell. Only those systems
Data that can provide valid data to the selected cell are shown. When you select a system from
to the options shown here, that system is displayed to the right of the currently-selected
New system, with all appropriate connections drawn.
Update Performs an update if solution data is changed or modified. You can bring in the latest
solution case file into the solution cell for consumption.
System Names
You can enter an Icepak system name for your project as described in Naming Systems (p. 195). In
addition, you can use the Rename option to change the name of a system or cell. In the Icepak
application, the system coordinate, system name, and application name are displayed in the top
left corner.
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Icepak Properties
Select or enable Use Workbench Color Scheme to keep the Workbench background graphics
colors and display defaults in Icepak.
To enable this option:
1. Right-click the Setup cell and select Properties from the context menu.
2. In the Value column, select the Use Workbench Color Scheme check box.
DesignModeler to Icepak
CAD models created or edited in DesignModeler can be imported into Icepak. Icepak instructs
DesignModeler to export the current DesignModeler geometry into Step file format so it is readable
by Icepak.
To transfer geometry upstream to Icepak:
• To add a Geometry component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic
The Attention Required icon ( ) indicates that an input file is required.
1. To launch the DesignModeler application, double-click the Geometry cell or right-click the Geometry
cell and select New Geometry from the context menu.
You can import any geometry or load an existing DesignModeler geometry by right-clicking
the Geometry cell and selecting Import Geometry from the context menu.
2. Establish the connection to Icepak using one of the following options:
• Drag and drop an Icepak system on top of the Geometry cell.
• In the Toolbox, double-click Icepak to add the Icepak system to the Project Schematic, then click
the Geometry cell and drag it to the Icepak Setup cell.
• Right-click the Geometry cell and select Transfer Data From New from the context menu, then
select a system that uses DesignModeler.
• Right-click the Geometry cell and select Transfer Data to New from the context menu, then select
a connection to Icepak.
3. To launch the Icepak application, double-click the Setup cell.
If the geometry is different from DesignModeler’s native format (.agdb), you must edit the
geometry first before exporting into Icepak.
A new project is created and DesignModeler geometry is imported into Icepak as STEP geometry.
4. If the geometry has been modified, refresh the Icepak Setup cell to bring in the new geometry.
After you refresh the data, you must either replace the entire model in Icepak or update indi-
vidual geometries that have changed. You are prompted with the following dialog box.
Component Systems
If you select Update model, the Icepak model is updated to match the existing model in
DesignModeler which may result in creating objects that are not currently present in the Icepak
model, the geometries of modified objects will be updated, and the thermal and material
properties of the updated objects are retained. Objects created separately in Icepak will not
be updated.
If you select Replace model, the entire Icepak model will be replaced with the latest input
CAD data from DesignModeler.
See the sample session in Chapter 2 of the Icepak documentation for an example on how to
use Icepak. See Understanding Cell States (p. 367) for a complete list of all cell states.
5. Perform an analysis on the model if you have not yet done so.
6. If the geometry has changed after you have solved, update the Solution cell (p. 205) to bring in the
new changes.
You can choose to not overwrite the solution using the dialog box shown below, and the update
is cancelled ( ).
Note:
See Workbench Menu Options Overview for Icepak Projects (p. 145) for information on
how to save your project.
Postprocessing Icepak Results

Icepak provides two methods for examining the results of your simulation; you can postprocess
results inside of Icepak or by using CFD-Post.
To postprocess results in Icepak, add an Icepak system to the Project Schematic and perform an
analysis on the model. You can then create graphical displays and examine your results in Icepak.
For details, see Examining the Results in the Icepak User's Guide
To postprocess Icepak results in CFD-Post:
1. Connect the Icepak system to a CFD-Post Results system using one of the following options:
• Drag and drop a Results system on top of the Icepak Solution cell.
• In the Toolbox, double-click Results to add the Results system to the Project Schematic, then
click the Icepak Solution cell and drag it to the Results cell.
• Right-click the Results cell and select Transfer Data From New from the context menu, then select
the Icepak system.
• Right-click the Geometry cell and select Transfer Data to New from the context menu, then select
the Results system.
2. Icepak results can be postprocessed in CFD Post by double-clicking the Results cell. If you have more
than one solution or your solution has changed, you need to update the Results cell. If solution data
is not transferred, then Results cannot be launched. See CFD-Post help for more details.
Component Systems
Thermal Results from Icepak to Mechanical

Icepak results can be transferred to the following analysis types within Workbench: Static Structural,
Steady-State Thermal, Transient Structural, or Transient Thermal.
To add an analysis type:
1. Add an Icepak system to the Project Schematic and perform an analysis on the model inside Icepak.
2. Connect the Icepak system to a Mechanical system using one of the following options.
• Drag and drop an Analysis cell on top of the Icepak Solution cell.
• In the Toolbox, double-click a Mechanical analysis system to add it to the Project Schematic, then
click the Icepak Solution cell and drag it to the analysis Setup cell.
• Right-click the analysis Setup cell and select Transfer Data From New from the context menu,
then select the Icepak system.
• Right-click the Icepak Solution cell and select Transfer Data to New from the context menu, then
select a Mechanical analysis system.
3. Load geometry to satisfy the system.
4. Double-click the Setup cell to launch Mechanical.
5. While in Mechanical insert the appropriate loads based on the type of analysis. See Icepak to Mech-
anical Data Transfer for a detailed description of how to import an external load.
Design Explorer to Icepak Coupling in Workbench

The exploration of a given design can be performed by using optimization algorithms in ANSYS
DesignXplorer. Parameters exposed from Icepak provide a method for solving an optimization
and/or parametrization problem.
To publish Icepak variables:
1. In Icepak, define input and output parameters. See Overview of Parameterization for a description
on how to define parameters.
Note:
The Design variables tab of the Parameters and optimization panel displays all
the parameters names that are currently defined, along with their associated values.
2. In the Setup tab of the Parameters and optimization panel, select Single trial (current values) for
Trial type if not already selected.
3. At the bottom of the Parameters and optimization panel, click Publish to WB to display the Publish
to WB panel.
Component Systems
4. In the Publish to WB panel, select the input and output variables to publish to Workbench.
Note:
Variables can be selected independently. In the case of multiple variables, click the
green check mark to toggle all variables on and off.
5. Click Accept to publish variables to Workbench, click Done to publish variables and close the panel,
or click Cancel to withdraw the request.
Workbench recognizes the parameters defined and exposes them in a parameter set bar that
can be shared by multiple systems.
6. To access the Parameters tab, double-click the parameter bar or right-click and select Edit from the
context menu.
For information on defining parameters, refer to Working with Parameters and Design
Points (p. 241).
Important:
You cannot create, edit, delete, or rename parameters in Icepak if any iterations (or
time-steps) have been performed. If you want to create, edit, delete, or rename
Component Systems
parameters in Icepak for a case with an existing solution, you must first initialize
the solution.
7. To create a new design point, either duplicate an existing design point (p. 256) or add a new one by
entering values (p. 256).
8. Update the design points (p. 257).
Important:
Only the data from the design point in the row labeled Current is saved with the
project. If you want to postprocess the results from a different design point in either
ANSYS Icepak or ANSYS CFD-Post, click the box in the Exported column for that
design point before you update that design point. Otherwise, the data for that
design point is automatically deleted after the output parameters for that design
point are updated. If you choose to export a design point, the data associated with
that design point is exported to a new project. The new project is located in the
same directory as the original project. The name of the project is the same as the
name of the original project, except that it is appended with _dpn, where n is the
row number that corresponds to the design point in the original project’s Table of
Design Points.
9. Optimization of an Icepak system can be performed in ANSYS DesignXplorer. ANSYS DesignXplorer

provides various optimization methods with parameters as its fundamental components. These
parameters can come from any supported analysis system, such as Icepak, DesignModeler, and various
CAD systems. Responses can be studied, quantified and graphed. For information on how to set up
an ANSYS DesignXplorer analysis, see the DesignXplorer User's Guide.
Ansoft to Icepak Coupling in Workbench

Icepak can be coupled with Ansoft applications within Workbench in order to perform a one-way
or two-way electromagnetic-thermal interaction problem. Coupling between Ansoft and Icepak
applications within Workbench can be used for simulating fluid flow around or inside electromech-
anical (EM) devices when the temperature of the device is influenced by electromagnetic losses.
The coupling involves solving an electromagnetic problem in the Ansoft application, and mapping
the resulting volumetric heat loss and/or surface loss information into Icepak. Volumetric loss is
mapped onto the solid cell zones as a heat source (load) at the cell centroids that is then added
to the energy equation. Surface loss is applied to the adjacent cells of the solid zones at the surface
that contribute to the source terms of these cells.
Note:
Surface loss is highly concentrated near the surface of the solid zone, so you should
have a fine layer of good quality hexahedral or prism mesh elements located where
surface loss occurs.
You can analyze the results of volumetric or surface losses using the heat flow postpro-
cessing variable under Summary report.
When surface losses are enabled, the double precision solver is recommended.
One-way Coupling between Ansoft and Icepak Within Workbench

To work through an Icepak- HFSS/Maxwell/Q3D Extractor analysis:
1. Connect Ansoft to Icepak using one of the following options:
• Add a HFSS/Maxwell/Q3D Extractor system to the Project Schematic.
1. To add a HFSS/Maxwell/Q3D Extractor system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
2. Import/create the geometry in the Ansoft application.
3. Set up the problem and solve to obtain a solution for transfer into an Icepak system.
4. Connect the HFSS/Maxwell/Q3D Extractor Solution cell to the Icepak Setup cell.
• Transfer data from the Icepak system:
1. On the Icepak system, right-click the Solution cell and select Transfer Data From New from
the context menu.
2. Select a connection to a HFSS/Maxwell/Q3D Extractor system.
• Transfer data to an Icepak system:
1. On the Geometry system, right-click the Geometry cell and select Transfer Data to New from
the context menu.
2. Select the Icepak system.
Component Systems
2. To launch the Icepak application, double-click the Icepak cell.
A new project is created in the name of the project cell. If a DesignModeler system is used the
geometry is imported into Icepak automatically. Otherwise, the geometry must be created in
Icepak using Icepak primitive objects.
Note:
The geometry can be exported from the HFSS/Maxwell/Q3D Extractor cell to a

Geometry cell and imported to the Icepak cell using DesignModeler Electronics.
3. In Icepak, go to the File menu and select EM Mapping and Volumetric heat losses or Surface heat
losses.
The Volumetric heat losses panel contains the following inputs:
• A list of solid objects onto which the loss information can be mapped. For these objects, Icepak
requests the heat source (loss) terms from the Ansoft application. Click the Objects button to
toggle your current object selections. Right-click Objects and select All or None to select all or
none of the objects.
• Solution ID contains available solution sets. Since the HFSS/Maxwell/Q3D Extractor application
may have multiple solutions, Icepak requests the generated heat source data for the selected
solution.
• Frequency (steady-state only) contains available frequencies. Icepak will request that the
HFSS/Maxwell/Q3D Extractor application provide the heat source data for the selected frequency.
• Start time(s) and End time(s) (transient only) contains the available time steps. Icepak will request
that the HFSS/Maxwell/Q3D Extractor application provide an averaged heat loss for the selected
time steps.
Note:
The Start time(s) and End time(s) specified are applied to both volumetric and
surface heat losses.
• Temperature feedback option is used in two-way coupling problems. This option is explained
below.
Figure 1: Volumetric heat losses - Steady-state
Component Systems
Figure 2: Volumetric heat losses - Transient
4. Click Accept to close the panel.
5. In Icepak, click Start solution to solve the project.
During solving, HFSS/Maxwell/Q3D Extractor is launched in the background and the volumetric
losses calculated and mapped onto the selected Icepak solid objects. This loss mapping from
HFSS to Icepak is conservative. This is especially important for accurate temperature calculation.
Two-Way Coupling Between Ansoft and Icepak Within Workbench

Two-way coupling enables thermal feedback to be provided between the systems so that you can
exchange temperature data from Icepak to Ansoft applications within Workbench.
To enable two-way coupling between Icepak and Ansoft:
1. Open the Maxwell (or HFSS/Q3D Extractor) project and define temperature–dependent material
properties (enabling the Thermal Modifier field in the View/Edit Material dialog box and editing the
material’s thermal property definition).
This makes sure that the Ansoft and Icepak applications generate the temperature–dependent
data.
2. In the Temperature of Objects dialog box, select Enable Feedback.
The Temperature of Objects dialog box is displayed when selecting Set Object Temperature
in the Maxwell 3D /HFSS/Q3D Extractor menu.
Component Systems
Note:
In Maxwell/HFSS/Q3D Extractor, you can have different losses (Ohmic loss, Core loss,
Hysteresis loss) depending on the type of simulation. Maxwell/HFSS/Q3D Extractor
can also compute the "total loss" which is the sum of all the losses when appropriate.
All the different losses mentioned above including the "total loss" are a function of
space and they are also a function of time in the Maxwell/HFSS/Q3D Extractor
transient solver. When doing the coupling simulation, the "total loss" is mapped to
Icepak for the temperature calculation. For transient simulations, the total loss is
time averaged between two times that you specify before it is mapped to Icepak.
3. Connect Ansoft to Icepak using one of the following options:
• Transfer data from the Icepak system:
1. On the Icepak system, right-click the Solution cell and select Transfer Data From New from
the context menu.
2. Select a connection to a HFSS/Maxwell/Q3D Extractor system.
• Transfer data to an Icepak system:
1. On the Geometry system, right-click the Geometry cell and select Transfer Data to New from
the context menu.
2. Select the Icepak system.
4. To launch the Icepak application, double-click the Icepak cell.
A new project is created in the name of the project cell. If a DesignModeler system is used the
geometry is imported into Icepak automatically. Otherwise, the geometry must be created in
Icepak using Icepak primitive objects.
Note:
The geometry can be exported from the HFSS/Maxwell/Q3D Extractor cell to a

Geometry cell and imported to the Icepak cell using DesignModeler Electronics.
5. In Icepak, go to the File menu and select EM Mapping and Volumetric heat losses or Surface heat
losses.
The Volumetric heat losses panel contains the following inputs:
• A list of solid objects onto which the loss information can be mapped. For these objects, Icepak
requests the heat source (loss) terms from the Ansoft application.
• Solution ID contains available solution sets. Since the HFSS/Maxwell/Q3D Extractor application
may have multiple solutions, Icepak will request the generated heat source data for the selected
solution.
• Frequency contains available frequencies. Icepak will request that the HFSS/Maxwell/Q3D Extractor
application provide the heat source data for the selected frequency.
• Temperature feedback enables the writing of temperature data by the Icepak solver to be sent
to the Ansoft application to perform two-way coupling. This option must be enabled for two-way
coupling.
Note:
When volumetric heat losses are not available, two-way coupling can still be per-
formed for surface heat losses by enabling the Temperature feedback option in
the Volumetric heat losses panel.
6. Click Accept to close the panel.
7. After solving in Icepak, to send temperature data back to the Ansoft application to solve again, right-
click the Ansoft application’s Solution cell and select Enable update from the context menu.
Component Systems
8. Solve Icepak again using this newly generated data. This process can go on indefinitely until you are
satisfied with the results.
Handling Coupling Iterations Between Ansoft and Icepak

You can also perform manual cyclic updates of individual system components until the solution
stops changing within a desired level of tolerance. For example:
• Coupling Iteration 1
– Update Maxwell/HFSS/Q3D Extractor Solution cell
– Perform EM Mapping on solid zones in Icepak
– Update Icepak Solution cell
– Perform Enable update on Maxwell/HFSS/Q3D Extractor Solution cell
– Update Icepak Setup cell
• and so on.
You can perform automatic system updates (coupling iterations) using the Ansoft Feedback Iterator.
Refer to Ansoft help documentation for more information on Feedback Iterator.
Icepak and Workbench Integration Tutorial

To access the ANSYS Icepak - ANSYS Workbench integration tutorial, go to http://support.ansys.com/
training and download the ANSYS Icepak Tutorial Guide.
Material Designer
The Material Designer system launches ANSYS Material Designer, allowing you perform material
homogenization. You can simulate the micro-structure of composite materials and lattice structures
as well as user-defined materials. Material Designer generates a representative volume element (RVE)
and analyzes it in order to compute homogenized (averaged) material properties. The computed
materials can then be used in subsequent analyses as any predefined or user-defined materials would
be.
Example workflows can be found in Workbench Workflow Examples. For more general information
about Material Designer, see the Material Designer User's Guide.
Mechanical APDL
The Mechanical APDL system launches Mechanical APDL (formerly known as the ANSYS software),
allowing you to manage the various files often used and created by Mechanical APDL, especially when
working with a linked analysis (for example, thermal-stress, substructuring, submodeling, and so on).
It is important that you understand the types of files that the Mechanical APDL application uses and
generates, because the actions you take in Workbench act on these files. These files fall into three
broad categories: input, reference, and output.
Input Files
Files that are consumed directly by the Mechanical APDL application. Examples include:
• Files consisting of Mechanical APDL commands, generated manually or by Mechanical APDL (log
files) or by the Mechanical or Meshing applications.
• Coded input files, such as .cdb files, generated by Mechanical APDL and third-party preprocessors
• Mechanical APDL geometry files (.anf), generated by Mechanical APDL or DesignModeler
Note:
In some cases, the Mechanical APDL solver overwrites one of its input files with its generated
output (for example, the .rst file from a Modal system in a Modal to Response Spectrum
analysis linked to a Mechanical APDL component system). If this occurs, subsequent updates
of the Mechanical APDL component system will fail. To copy the correct input from an
upstream system, perform a reset operation on the Mechanical APDL component system.
Referenced Files
Files that are referenced by the execution of an input file. Examples include:
• Database files
• Results files
Component Systems
• Command macro files
• Superelement files
• Solver files
• CAD geometry files
Output Files
Files that are produced by all Mechanical APDL application runs. Primary output files include:
• Results file (.rst, .rth, etc.)
• Output file (.out) of the command echoes, solution information, and requested data listings
• Log file (.log) of the commands issued to the Mechanical APDL application
• Error file (.err) listing any warnings or errors encountered
Creating a Mechanical APDL Analysis

Use the following procedure to create a Mechanical APDL analysis.
To work through a Mechanical APDL system:
1. To add a Mechanical APDL component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
2. If required, connect other systems to a Mechanical APDL system by using the Transfer Data From
New or Transfer Data To New context menu options. You can also drag systems from the toolbox,
or manually create links between systems.
When transferring data to a Mechanical APDL system from another system, you can transfer
data from the following cell sources:
• Geometry: transfers just the geometry in the form of an .anf file. This option is only supported
for geometry that is represented as DesignModeler geometry.
• Model (Mesh cell if a meshing system): transfers an input file containing only the mesh, contact,
coordinate system, and named selections data.
• Setup (Mechanical Systems): transfers an input file containing all data necessary to solve the ana-
lysis, including geometry, model, loads, materials, etc. Any supporting files needed to execute the
input file will be transferred as well. Examples include pre-stress modal or random vibration.
• Setup (Finite Element Modeler): Transfers input file containing any finite data recognized inside
Finite Element Modeler, such as mesh, materials, components, constraints, etc.
• Solution (Mechanical Systems): transfers the database file (.db) if it exists and result file only.
Note:
For Model, Setup (Mechanical Systems), and Solution transfer cells, if you solve
within Mechanical, you must run an update on the appropriate cell in the Mechan-
ical system to obtain the correct state on the schematic.
In most cases, Model and Setup components from the same Mechanical system
should not be linked to one Mechanical APDL system. Doing so will cause the
Mechanical system to provide two different (and possibly conflicting) input files to
the Mechanical APDL system.
Named selections and coordinate systems that are added to a solved Mechanical
system are not immediately reflected in downstream Mechanical APDL systems.
They will be available in future solution attempts.
Important:
The Mechanical APDL system consumes all input data without unit system know-
ledge. You must assure that all input data being used by the Mechanical APDL system
is in a consistent unit system. See Solving Units for more information on unit system.
When transferring data from a Mechanical APDL system to another Mechanical APDL system,
you can transfer four types of data:
• Results: transfers all results files (including .rst, .rth, etc.)
• Database: transfers all database files (.db)
• Solver: transfers all files in the system folder
• CDB: transfers .cdb files
You can also transfer data to a new Finite Element Model system, which uses the .cdb file(s).
These files are simply copied to the new system if they exist; Workbench does not generate
the files. Before transferring data to a new system, be sure that you have an input file that
generates the necessary files from the existing Mechanical APDL system.
When you transfer data to or from another system, right-click the link connecting the systems
and select Properties from the context menu. The Properties pane opens, detailing the nature
of the transfer (such as Transfer CDB File).
3. To open the Components workspace to select Mechanical APDL parameters, double-click the Analysis
cell or right-click the cell and select Edit from the context menu.
From the Components workspace, you can select Mechanical APDL parameters or specify setup
properties (p. 345) (such as command line options, memory settings, number of processors,
etc.).
When you add an input file using the context menu, Workbench automatically searches the
file for potential parameters (for example, *SET, *GET, = assignments). Those parameters are
Component Systems
then displayed in the Properties pane when that input file is selected in the Outline pane.
To use one of those parameters, select that parameter's check box and indicate whether it
should be used as an input or an output parameter. Input parameters are sent to Mechanical
APDL with the value specified when updating. After the update, Workbench retrieves the
output values from Mechanical APDL and sets those values in Workbench.
Note:
The presence of a /EXIT command in the input file causes state and parameters to
malfunction. Make sure you remove this command before adding the input file.
4. Launch the Mechanical APDL application using one of the following options:
• To launch the Mechanical APDL application interactively, right-click the Analysis cell and select
Edit in Mechanical APDL or Open in Mechanical APDL from the context menu.
• To launch the Mechanical APDL application with input and reference files specified, right-click the
Analysis cell and select Add Input File or Add Reference File from the context menu. Then select
Edit in Mechanical APDL
The Mechanical APDL application launches in interactive mode, and the input file(s) specified
will be sent to the Mechanical APDL application and processed in the order listed. After all
of these files are processed, the Mechanical APDL application remains active and you can
continue your analysis using the standard Mechanical APDL application interface. Any action
you take in the Mechanical APDL application will not be reflected in Workbench state indic-
ators or parameters.
Be aware that any time you launch the Mechanical APDL application, Workbench does not log or
record the actions that occur in the Mechanical APDL application. If you make changes in the
Mechanical APDL application, be sure that the changes are reflected appropriately in the input files.
To maintain connectivity (such as to read output parameters), complete an update, either at the
project level or at the appropriate system/cell level.
To save Mechanical APDL changes from an open session, you must include a SAVE command in
one of your input files. The Workbench save capability does not invoke the Mechanical APDL SAVE
command.
When you add an input file, the files are processed in the order shown. You can change the order
in which the files are processed by dragging the files into the proper order. To delete files, right-
click the file to be deleted and select Delete from the context menu.
To stop a Mechanical APDL batch run, you can interrupt the update progress (p. 206).
Mechanical APDL Context Menu Options

When the Mechanical APDL system is active in the schematic, use the right mouse button to initiate
the following Analysis cell actions.
Menu Description
Item
Edit Opens the Components workspace, where you can specify Mechanical APDL parameters
and setup properties. This is the default action.
Edit in Launches the Mechanical APDL application interactively and reads the input files. If the
Mechanical state is currently up to date, Workbench sets the state to Update Required at this time,
APDL even if you do not make any changes in the Mechanical APDL application.
Open in Launches the Mechanical APDL application interactively without reading any input files.
Mechanical Any action you take in the Mechanical APDL application are not be reflected in Workbench
APDL state indicators.
Add Opens a dialog box where you can browse to an input file. When you add an input file,
Input the file is immediately copied into the project directory. To make changes to this file,
File change the file in the project directory, not the original file. If you have a large input file
and have disk space concerns, keep the file in the directory of your choice and use a
separate input file to reference it (using the /INPUT command).
Add Opens a dialog box where you can browse to a referenced file. When you add a referenced
Referenced file, the file is immediately copied into the project directory. To make changes to this file,
File change the file in the project directory, not the original file. If you have a large reference
file and have disk space concerns, keep the file in the directory of your choice and
reference it manually.
Track Launches the Results Tracking tool during an update, allowing you to monitor diagnostics
Solution results of interest in real time during the solution. For more information, see the NLHIST
command.
Update Runs the Mechanical APDL application in batch mode, processing all input files in the
order listed. If you make changes in the Mechanical APDL application, be sure that the
changes are reflected appropriately in the input files before running an update. If you
do not, an update could potentially overwrite the work you have done in the Mechanical
APDL application.
Note:
An update launches the Mechanical APDL application in batch mode,

using all input and referenced files in the order shown in the Outline
pane. After all files are processed, the Mechanical APDL application exits.
Updating captures any output parameters generated in the Mechanical
APDL application and allows you to continue working in Workbench.
Refresh Copies the latest transfer files into the project directory. Input and referenced files are
not re-copied from their original locations. If you change an upstream system after you
make changes to the Mechanical APDL application, a refresh could potentially overwrite
your Mechanical APDL application changes. Be sure that any changes you do in the
Mechanical APDL application are reflected appropriately in the input files before running
a refresh. Only changes that occur within the schematic are captured with a Refresh
Required state (p. 367); Workbench does not indicate Refresh Required for changes made
directly to a file (such as manually editing an input file).
Clear Deletes all files on disk in the system directory except input or reference files. It will not
Generated affect any input or reference files.
Data
Component Systems
Menu Description
Item
Rename, Standard actions as described in Common Context Menu Options (p. 374).
Reset
Properties Launches the Properties pane, where you can define graphics settings, command line
options, database and tab memory, and other settings. Be aware when selecting graphics
settings that some options are potentially platform-specific and must be changed when
switching platforms before running the project with Mechanical APDL in interactive mode.
Solver Input File Generated from the Setup cell of a Mechanical APDL System
The solver input file transferred from the Setup cell contains all the commands needed to execute
a complete run, including any SOLVE commands that are necessary. However, the input also contains
a conditional /EOF statement to halt reading of the file and therefore not execute the solve. This
conditional statement will be executed when the Mechanical APDL application is invoked from the
Edit in Mechanical APDL context menu option, therefore running the analysis to the point just
prior to the SOLVE command. If a different behavior is desired, you can edit the input file in the
Mechanical APDL system folder to obtain a different behavior or to add an additional input file
containing the SOLVE command.
Mechanical Model
The Mechanical Model system launches the Mechanical application, allowing you to create an ana-
lysis using a single model and multiple system analysis branches. You can also create other Mechan-
ical Model systems that share data at any cell level (Engineering Data, Geometry, or Model).
Mechanical Model Model systems are unfiltered (physics and solver).
The system consists of Engineering Data, Geometry, and Model cells. In the Mechanical application,
this system corresponds to that of a Model-only system.
This system is created when you resume a legacy database that does not have an analysis environment
already defined. It can also be used as a system replacement for a Mesh system.
Working Through a Mechanical Model system

To work through a Mechanical Model system:
1. To add a Mechanical Model component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
2. Create or attach a geometry using the Geometry cell context menu.
3. If required, right-click the Model cell and select Edit to edit the model.
4. To add a connected system, either drag a valid analysis system from the Toolbox and drop it on the
appropriate target location, or right-click the Geometry or Model cell and select Transfer Data To
New from the context menu.
5. To create multiple system analysis branches, repeat step 4 with other analysis systems.
Resuming an Existing Legacy Database

To resume an existing legacy database that contains no physics environment:
1. From the menu bar, select File → Import.
2. Browse to the legacy database, select it, and click Open.
A Mechanical Model system appears in the Project Schematic, with the legacy database loaded.
3. To open the Mechanical application, double-click the Model cell, or right-click the cell and select Edit
from the cell context menu.
4. In the Mechanical application, complete any necessary model updates.
5. To add a connected system, either drag a valid analysis system from the Toolbox and drop it on the
appropriate target location, or right-click the Geometry or Model cell and select Transfer Data To
New from the context menu.
6. Continue with the analysis in the analysis system as you normally would.
Replacing a Mesh System with a Mechanical Model System

To replace an existing Mesh system with a Mechanical Model system (or vice-versa), right-click the
system header and select Replace with → Mechanical Model or Replace with → Mesh (respectively)
from the context menu. When a Mesh system is replaced with a Mechanical Model system, the
Mechanical Model system can then be shared with any analysis system as described above.
The units setting specified in an existing system is not maintained in the replacement system. In the
replacement system, you must select the units setting that you want to use.
Model-to-Model Connections
Multiple Mechanical Model component systems can be merged together by creating a connection
between the Model cells of each component system. This allows you to build up more complicated
models from smaller, simpler models. This behaves in the same way as Mesh-to-Mesh Connec-
tions (p. 175). More detailed information can be found in Assembling External Models and Mechan-
ical Models in the Mechanical User's Guide.
Solution-to-Model Connections
You can transfer a deformed geometry from a Static/Transient/Modal/Buckling/Explicit Dynamics
system to a Mechanicall Model or to a Mechanical analysis system. You might want to do this to
introduce imperfections to an otherwise perfect geometry to overcome convergence issues when
running a nonlinear simulation.
To use the deformed mesh from a solved analysis as the initial geometry/mesh for a follow-on
analysis:
1. Drag a connection from the Mechanical Solution cell to a downstream Model cell in a Mechanical
system.
You can create connections to multiple downstream Model cells.
Component Systems
2. To share Engineering Data between the systems, link the Engineering Data cells as required.
Note:
If you are incorporating a deformed geometry into Model Assembly systems, you
need to share the Engineering Data cell of the deformed geometry system with one
or more of the Model Assembly systems in order to have the materials automatically
transferred and set for the deformed geometry in the downstream system.
3. Optionally, in the Properties pane:
a. Adjust the amount and direction of the deformation by setting a Scale Factor (a negative value
reverses the direction of the deformation).
b. Adjust the upstream Time settings (for Transient, Static Structural, or Explicit Dynamics systems)
or the Mode (for Eigenvalue Buckling or Modal systems) for each connection to a downstream
Model cell.
If you set a User Defined Time, the value is always interpreted as being in seconds.
c. Adjust the transfer input settings on downstream Model. The transfer settings are the same as
those for Mesh-to-Mesh Connections (p. 175).
For more detailed information, see Geometry from Deformation Results in the Mechanical User's
Guide.
Controlling Node and Element Numbering when Model Cells Share Data
When you connect the Model cell of a Mechanical system to the Model cell of a downstream
Mechanical system, you can use the Renumber Mesh Nodes and Elements Automatically property
in the downstream Mechanical Model cell to control whether mesh nodes and elements are auto-
matically renumbered to prevent conflicts. You can set the Renumber Mesh Nodes and Elements
Automatically property on a transfer-by-transfer basis. By default automatic renumbering occurs,
but you can disable the property for as many of the transfers as you want—as long as their element
numbers will not conflict downstream and the Number Of Copies is set to 0.
Preview Assembled Geometry

You can quickly preview the orientation of your parts in an assembly by right-clicking on the
downstream model cell and selecting Preview Assembled Geometry. When using this feature,
Mechanical assembles the geometry only (computationally expensive items such as the mesh are
not assembled), allowing you to review the assembled geometry quickly. This feature is useful if
you are unsure about the relative positioning of your subassemblies and some transformations are
required for proper alignment.
Example Workflow
To start, you must have fully updated upstream Model cells connected to a downstream Model
cell. The downstream Model cell is in a state of refresh required. In this demonstration, Box1 and
Box2 are both the same model, a rectangular prism, and you would like to have them oriented
into a “T” (one oriented 90 degrees from the other). However, a translation in the positive y-direction
is also needed to ensure a smooth contact between the parts. To accomplish this, enter a value of
10 m in the Properties pane of the Project Schematic to translate the Y-origin of Box1. As opposed
to issuing a full update on the downstream Model cell, which loads the mesh data as well as the
geometry, you first perform a geometry-only assembly by right-clicking on the downstream model
cell and selecting Preview Assembled Geometry.
This opens the assembly in Mechanical for you to inspect. When you activate Mechanical in this
way, no meshing or physics options are available.
Component Systems
Upon viewing the preview, you discover that the geometry is not in the proper orientation. After
inspecting the gap between the parts, you determine the proper y-translation is 9.35 m. After en-
tering this data in the Properties pane of the Project Schematic, you can again right-click the
downstream Model cell and select Preview Assembled Geometry. Mechanical will quickly update
to show you the change in orientation.
You confirm that the orientation of the two parts is correct. At this point, you can issue a full update
so that Mechanical loads in the mesh data and you can continue your analysis.
Mesh
The Mesh system launches multiple meshing and geometry applications, allowing you to create
and/or open geometry or mesh files.
To work through a Mesh, add it to the Project Schematic using any of these methods:
• Double-click the Mesh component system template in the Toolbox.
• Drag-and-drop the Mesh component system template onto the Project Schematic.
• Drag-and-drop a .meshdat or .cmdb file from Windows Explorer onto the Project Schematic.
• From the menu bar, select File → Import or click the Import button and select a .meshdat or
.cmdb file.
Mesh Context Menu Options

For standard context menu options, see System Header Context Menu Options (p. 376) and Geo-
metry (p. 366). The following table describes the context menu actions specific to the Mesh system.
Menu Item Description

System Header
Component Systems

Replace Replaces the Mesh component system with a Mechanical Model component system.
With >
Mechanical
Model
Mesh Cell
Edit Opens the Meshing application and loads an existing geometry or mesh file.
Import Imports read-only meshes for downstream application use. For more information see
Mesh File Importing Read-only Meshes for Downstream Application Use
Duplicate Duplicates the Mesh system. The Geometry cell is shared, and all data associated with
the Mesh cell is copied to the second system.
Transfer Transfers a mesh into one of the following downstream systems:
Data To
New • Autodyn: Inserts a downstream Autodyn system and generates a data transfer
connection (.cmdb file) from the Mesh cell to the Setup cell of the Autodyn system.
• CFX: Inserts a downstream CFX system and generates a data transfer connection
(.cmdb file) from the Mesh cell to the Setup cell of the CFX system.
• External Model: Inserts a downstream External Model system and generates a data
transfer connection (.cmdb file) from the Mesh cell to the Model cell of the External
Modelsystem.
• Forte: Inserts a downstream Forte system and generates a data transfer connection
(.msh file) from the Mesh cell to the Setup cell of the Forte system.
• Mechanical APDL: Inserts a downstream Mechanical APDL system and generates a

data transfer connection (.inp file) from the Mesh cell to the Analysis cell of the
Mechanical APDL system.
• Polyflow: Inserts a downstream Polyflow system and generates a data transfer

connection (.poly file) from the Mesh cell to the Setup cell of the Polyflow system.
Mesh-to-Mesh Connections
Multiple Mesh component systems can be merged together by creating a connection between the
Mesh cells of each component system. This allows you to build up more complicated meshes from
smaller, simpler meshes.
For every upstream Mesh cell connected to a downstream Mesh cell, a new set of properties called
Transfer Settings for [Mesh component name] appears in the Properties pane of the downstream
Mesh cell. In the above example, with two upstream Mesh components connected to single,
downstream Mesh component, the Properties pane of the downstream Mesh (cell B3) has two
new groups of properties.
Similarly, a Renumber Mesh Nodes and Elements Automatically property appears for each
transfer. This property in the downstream mesh cell controls whether mesh nodes and elements
are automatically renumbered to prevent conflicts. You can set the Renumber Mesh Nodes and
Elements Automatically property on a transfer-by-transfer basis. By default, automatic renumbering
occurs but you can disable the property for as many of the transfers as you want—as long as their
element numbers do not conflict downstream and the Number Of Copies is set to 0.
Component Systems
Table 4: Properties Pane: General Properties
Length Unit This property sets the units for the downstream mesh assembly. After the meshes
are initially assembled, this property becomes read-only. You must reset the
downstream mesh cell in order to change the Length Unit.
Table 5: Properties Pane: Transfer Settings Section
Number When set to zero (default), only the source mesh is transformed. If you specify a
Of number of copies greater than zero, these will be in addition to the source mesh.
Copies For example, if you import a .cdb file with a single part and set Number Of Copies
to 2, you will get three parts in Mechanical.
Renumber When Mesh cells are connected, this property in the downstream Mesh cell controls
Mesh Nodes whether mesh nodes and elements are automatically renumbered to prevent conflicts.
and Elements
Automatically If the Number Of Copies is set to 1 or greater, automatic renumbering occurs.
Transform This property is available only when Number Of Copies is set to 1 or greater. Select
Original the check box if you want to apply the specified transformation to the source mesh
as well as any copies.
Origin X/Y/Z These properties allow you to translate the origin of the model along the X, Y, or Z
axis. If you specify any copies, the translation is applied relative to the previous copy
(or source mesh in the case of the first copy).
Theta These properties allow you to rotate the model about its origin in the XY, YZ, or ZX
XY/YZ/ZX plane. If you specify any copies, the rotation is applied relative to the previous copy
(or source mesh in the case of the first copy).
Any change in these properties will put the downstream mesh in a Refresh Required state (p. 367).
You can preview the mesh transformations by right-clicking on the Mesh cell and selecting Preview
Assembled Geometry. Use this feature to confirm that the correct mesh transformations have
been applied. For more details and an example workflow, see Preview Assembled Geometry (p. 171).

The Microsoft Office Excel launches Microsoft Office Excel 2013 or 2016, allowing you to use it as a
calculator in Workbench This feature exposes Excel ranges as input and output parameters to Work-
bench; you can use these ranges to create design points and Design Exploration studies.
Note:
The Excel add-in is included with Workbench. It does not require DesignXplorer or any
other specific ANSYS product, but it must connect to a locally installed seat of Microsoft
Excel (purchased separately).
Related topics:
Preparing the Excel File
Setting Up the Excel Calculator
Support of Units
File Management and Modification of the Worksheet
Preparing the Excel File

To be exposed as parameters in Workbench, the ranges must be named in Excel. The names are
filtered during the addition of the Excel file to the project; only the ranges matching the prefix
Component Systems
defined by the Named Range Key property in the Properties pane of the Analysis cell are made
visible in Workbench.
Note:
By default, no filtering prefix is defined at either the Workbench or the project level. You
set a filter by either of the following methods:
• Set a default prefix that will be used for all new projects (see Microsoft Office Ex-
cel (p. 352)).
• Set a prefix at the project level by entering it in the Named Range Key property in the
Properties pane of the Microsoft Office Excel Analysis cell.
To name a range in Excel:
1. Open the file in the Microsoft Office Excel application.
2. Right-click a cell and select Define Name from the context menu.
3. Enter the name.
4. To review and modify all the defined names in Excel, select Formulas → Name Manager.
A named range can contain several cells. Workbench expects the named ranges to contain either
one or two cells, the first cell being reserved for the value and the second cell being reserved for
the unit string, if any. If a named range contains more than two cells, it is ignored.
Note:
If you added the file to the Excel system in Workbench before naming the ranges, or if
you want to edit the names of the ranges after the addition of the file, you can right-
click the Analysis component or the file node in the Outline and select Open file in
Excel. This opens the Excel file used by Workbench in Excel.
All changes performed in Excel impact the state of the data in Workbench and invalidate
the results; make sure you save your changes and reload the file afterwards (when editing
the Analysis cell, right-click the file node and select Reload).
Setting Up the Excel Calculator

Complete the following procedure to set up Excel as a calculator in Workbench.
To add a file and set macro property usage:
1. To add a Microsoft Office Excel component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
2. Right-click the Analysis cell and select Add File to the context menu.
Component Systems
3. Browse to the Excel file that you have prepared.
5. To review the list of named ranges retrieved from the Excel file, right-click the Analysis cell and select
Edit Configuration from the context menu.
6. For each listed named range, select the check boxes in the Input or Output column to publish the
range as an input parameter or an output parameter in the Workbench project.
7. If the calculation in Excel requires the execution of a macro:
a. In the Outline pane, select the added file.
b. In the Properties pane, select the Use a Macro check box.
c. In the Macro Name field, enter the name of the macro.
Note:
If a button is used to start the calculation and you do not know the name of
the macro associated with it, right-click the button and select Assign Macro
to discover the name to use.
On the Project Schematic, the Microsoft Office Excel system is linked to the Parameter Set
bar.
The project is ready to create design points and Design Exploration studies.
Support of Units
Units are handled by the Excel system. A valid Workbench unit string must be used and included
in the named range.
For instance, if an input parameter is a length in millimeters, you can name WB_Length the range
A1:B1 where the cell A1 contains the length value (for example, 120.5) and the cell B1 contains the
unit string (mm). When selecting the WB_Length range in the Outline pane, the Properties pane
looks like the following image. In this case, the Quantity Name is automatically identified as a
Length.
If there are several possible Quantity Names for the same unit string, you have to select the
Quantity Name in the properties of the range for the unit conversion to be performed as expected.
For instance, if A1:B1 was actually a temperature in degree Celsius, the Quantity Name could be a
Temperature or a Temperature Difference.
Component Systems
For detailed information on working with units in Workbench, see Configuring Units in Work-
bench (p. 12)
File Management and Modification of the Worksheet

When the Excel file is added to the Analysis cell of the Microsoft Office Excel system, it is copied
inside the Workbench project files. Any modification made to the original file is not seen by Work-
bench except if you delete and add the file again.
To modify the file copied in the Workbench project files, right-click the Analysis cell, or the file
node in the Outline pane, and select Open file in Excel. Once modifications are done, save the
file. The state of the file in Workbench changes to Refresh Required (p. 367), which indicates that
data is not synchronized anymore. Results such as design points and Design Exploration systems
in the Workbench project are outdated. Refresh the project to synchronize all the pieces of the
project.
If a change in the Excel file was not detected by Workbench, you can force a reload of the file (right-
click the file node and select Reload).
It is not necessary to close the workbook or the Excel application to proceed with design points or
Design Exploration updates. Interaction with the Excel application are frozen, but you can see the
performed calculations.
Performance Map
The Performance Map system launches Turbomachinery Performance Map, an application used to
create performance maps for turbomachinery cases.
For more information, see Turbomachinery Performance Maps in the TurboSystem User's Guide
To work through a Performance Map system:
1. To add a Performance Map component template, drag the template from the Toolbox to the Project
Schematic or double-click the template in the Toolbox.
2. To open Turbomachinery Performance Map, double-click the Performance Map cell.
Polyflow
The Polyflow system launches ANSYS Polyflow, allowing you to analyze fluid flows with free surfaces,
complex rheology (including non-Newtonian behavior with viscoelasticity), heat transfer, and chem-
ical reactions. Using Polyflow involves specifying the computation models inside Polydata, which is
the module for problem setup; and running the calculations using the Polyflow solver. Polyflow also
comes with several useful utilities, which can be accessed from the context menu on the Setup and
Solution cells. For example, Polymat can be used to calculate material properties, including viscoelastic
parameters based on experimental data. For more details, see the product documentation.
There are three Polyflow fluid-flow analysis systems available in Workbench:
• Polyflow: Provides the full simulation capabilities of Polyflow.
• Polyflow - Blow Molding: Provides only the application-specific capabilities of Polyflow that are suited
to blow molding simulations.
• Polyflow - Extrusion: Provides only the application-specific capabilities of Polyflow that are suited to
extrusion simulations.
To work through a Polyflow system:
1. To add a Polyflow, Polyflow - Blow Molding, or Polyflow - Extrusion component system, drag the
system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic or double-click the system in the Toolbox.
2. To import a mesh, right-click the Setup cell and select Import Mesh from the context menu.
3. To merge, scale, translate, and rotate the mesh, right-click the Setup cell and select Polyfuse from the
context menu.
4. To define your preferences for Polydata, right-click the Setup cell and select Preferences → Polydata
5. To open Polydata, double-click the Setup cell.
In Polydata, you can specify the computational models, materials, boundary conditions, and
solution parameters.
Alternatively, to import a previously saved Polyflow data file, right-click the Setup cell and select
Import Polyflow Dat... from the context menu.
6. Optionally, to specify material data, right-click the Setup cell and select Polymat from the context
menu.
7. To define your preferences for Polyflow, right-click the Solution cell and select Preferences → Polyflow
8. To run the Polyflow calculation, right-click the Solution cell and select Update from the context menu.
9. To check the status of the solver during or after the calculation, right-click the Solution cell and select
Polydiag from the context menu.
10. To open the listing file to see what Polyflow has done during or after the calculation, right-click the
Solution cell and select Listing Viewer from the context menu.
11. To generate plots of the solution data, right-click the Solution cell and select Polycurve from the
context menu.
12. To statistically postprocess the results of the solution data, right-click the Solution cell and select
Polystat from the context menu.
For detailed information on working with Polyflow, see the online documentation available under
the Help menu within Polyflow. In addition, see Polyflow in Workbench User's Guide.
Component Systems
For information on submitting Polyflow jobs to Remote Solve Manager, see Submitting Polyflow Jobs
to Remote Solve Manager (p. 290).
Results
The Results system launches ANSYS CFD-Post, a flexible, state-of-the-art postprocessor that enables
easy visualization and quantitative analysis of the results of CFD simulations.
For detailed information on working with ANSYS CFD-Post, see CFD-Post in ANSYS Workbench in the
CFD-Post User's Guide.
To work through a Results system:
1. To add a Results component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic or
2. To open CFD-Post, right-click the Results cell and select Edit from the context menu.
3. In CFD-Post, to load a results file from the ANSYS CFX-Solver, ANSYS Forte, or ANSYS Polyflow, select
File → Load Results.
AIM: Study
When you start ANSYS AIM, it opens in the Study tab (in which you generally work). However, a
Study component also appears on the Project tab. From the Project tab, you can you access the
Workbench Project Schematic and Toolbox. You can:
• Access the parameter manager (p. 241).
• Explore and optimize your design using DesignXplorer.
• Import geometry data into a Study cell (p. 123). A Data Import cell is created. If you have multiple geomet-
ries, you can import them into the Study cell to create additional Data Import cells or into the same Data
Import cell to have multiple geometries in it.
• Transfer AIM part meshing data—as PMDB, ACMO, or MSH files—to any Mechanical or Forte system. This
process enables you to use the benefits of AIM Meshing with a Mechanical or Forte system.
This transfer operates in a way similar to Model-to-Model Connections (p. 170). Each connection
has its own transfer settings.
For more information on using AIM, see AIM Documentation.
System Coupling
The System Coupling system launches the System Coupling tab, allowing you to model one-way
and two-way multiphysics couplings for your project. Connect a System Coupling system to one or
more analysis systems, or to an External Data component, to have the System Coupling system
synchronize and manage the data transfer and solution.
For more detailed information, see System Coupling Tab in Workbench in the System Coupling User's
Guide.
To work through a System Coupling system:
1. To add a System Coupling component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project
2. Connect the System Coupling system to other systems through the Setup cell or the Solution cell.
3. To open the System Coupling tab, double-click the Setup cell or right-click the cell and select Edit
4. To view or update the Solution cell properties, right-click the Solution cell and select Properties from
the context menu.
Most of the settings in the Properties pane are for information only, but you can use the Com-
mand Line Options setting to send command-line arguments to the System Coupling service.
These commands are invoked when the System Coupling service is started.
To learn the syntax for the command-line arguments, see Alternate Workflows for System
Coupling in Workbench.
Turbo Setup
The Turbo Setup system launches Turbomachinery Data Setup, an application used to rapidly create
the workflows needed for the analysis of centrifugal compressors.
The application offers no design calculation capability itself; it is purely a tool designed to facilitate
the analysis of turbomachinery using the Vista TF and CFX applications.
For more information, see Turbo Setup in the TurboSystem User's Guide.
To work through a Turbo Setup system:
1. To add a Turbo Setup component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic
2. To open Turbomachinery Data Setup, double-click the Turbo Setup cell.
TurboGrid
The TurboGrid system launches ANSYS TurboGrid, a tool that lets designers and analysts of rotating
machinery create high-quality hexahedral meshes, while preserving the underlying geometry. These
meshes are used in the ANSYS workflow to solve complex blade passage problems.
Component Systems
For more information, see ANSYS TurboGrid help.
To work through a TurboGrid system:
1. To add a TurboGrid component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic
2. Optionally, connect an upstream cell to the Turbo Mesh cell to provide the geometry data. To do this,
right-click the Turbo Mesh cell and select Transfer Data from New from the context menu or drop
the TurboGrid system on the Geometry cell of another system.
If you do not complete this step, you can load geometry data using TurboGrid.
3. To open TurboGrid, double-click the Turbo Mesh cell.
Vista AFD
The Vista AFD system launches Vista Axial Fan Design, an application used for the preliminary design
of axial fans. It creates axial fan geometry data for use in BladeGen or BladeEditor. It also provides
estimates of the performance of the axial fan. It may be used to generate a preliminary fan design
before moving rapidly to a full 3D geometry model and CFD analysis.
For more information, see Vista AFD help.
To work through a Vista AFD system:
1. To add a Vista AFD component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic
2. To specify the solution parameters, generate a solution, and view the results of a meanline analysis,
double-click the Meanline cell.
3. To perform the design (throughflow) calculation, double-click the Design cell.
4. Optionally, before creating a BladeGen or BladeEditor model, double-click the Analysis cell to perform
an analysis calculation.
This uses a similar throughflow method to the design calculation but simply analyses the design
created in the previous step, rather than adjusting the geometry. A significant difference between
the design and analysis results indicates a potentially flawed design.
Vista CCD and Vista CCD with CCM

The Vista CCD and Vista CCD with CCM systems launch Vista Centrifugal Compressor Design, an
application used for the preliminary design of centrifugal compressors. It can be used in an iterative
fashion to create a 1D design. The resulting geometry can be passed to BladeGen or BladeEditor.
Vista CCD can be used to model an existing compressor and, if known, its measured performance at
single operating points. An accurate 1D model can provide insight into the performance of the machine
that goes beyond the test measurements.
For more information, see Vista CCD help.
To work through a Vista CCD system:
1. To add a Vista CCD or Vista CCD with CCM component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to
the Project Schematic or double-click the system in the Toolbox.
2. To specify the solution parameters, generate a solution, and view the results, double-click the Blade
Design cell.
3. For Vista CCD with CCM systems, to predict the overall performance of the design compressor state,
double-click the Performance Map cell.
Vista CPD
The Vista CPD system launches Vista Centrifugal Pump Design, an application used for the preliminary
design of pumps. It creates impeller geometry data for use in BladeEditor. It may be used to generate
an optimized 1D pump impeller design before moving rapidly to a full 3D geometry model and CFD
analysis.
For more information, see Vista CPD help.
To work through a Vista CPD system:
1. To add a Vista CPD component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic
Design cell.
Vista RTD
The Vista RTD system launches Vista Radial Turbine Design, an application used for the preliminary
design of radial inflow turbines. It can be used in an iterative fashion to create a 1D design. The res-
ulting geometry can be passed to BladeGen, BladeEditor, and Vista TF. Vista RTD can also be used to
model an existing turbine. An accurate 1D model can provide insight into the performance of the
machine that goes beyond the test measurements.
For more information, see Vista RTD help.
To work through a Vista RTD system:
1. To add a Vista RTD component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic
Design cell.
Vista TF
The Vista TF system allows you to rapidly evaluate radial blade rows (pumps, compressors and turbines)
at the early stages of the design. The Vista TF program is a streamline curvature throughflow program
for the analysis of any type of turbomachine, but has been developed in the first instance primarily
as a tool for radial turbomachinery analysis.
For more information, see Vista TF help.
Custom Systems
To work through a Vista TF system:
1. To add a Vista TF component system, drag the system from the Toolbox to the Project Schematic or
2. To open the cell properties and specify the solution parameters, double-click the Setup cell.
3. To generate a solution, double-click the Solution cell.
4. To view the results, double-click the Results cell.
Custom Systems
Workbench provides predefined custom templates for coupled systems, composed of multiple analysis
systems with predefined data connections. Examples include one-way FSI and thermal-stress coupled
analyses.
These templates are provided as a convenience; you can also manually create any of these systems
using system drag-drop operations, context menu operations on cells, or individual cell linking. You
can also create your own templates (p. 190) and add them to the Toolbox to easily build frequently-
used projects.
To use a custom system, double-click the template. Drag and drop is not available.
The following custom systems are available:
• FSI: Fluid Flow (ANSYS CFX) > Static Structural (p. 189)
• FSI: Fluid Flow (Fluent) > Static Structural (p. 190)
• Pre-Stress Modal (p. 190)
• Random Vibration (p. 190)
• Response Spectrum (p. 190)
• Thermal-Stress (p. 190)
FSI: Fluid Flow (ANSYS CFX) > Static Structural

This template performs analyses that couple the physics of Fluid Flow (ANSYS CFX) and Static Struc-
tural analyses with results provided (one-way) from the former system to the latter. When this template
is used, a Fluid Flow (CFX) (p. 68) analysis system and a Static Structural (p. 80) analysis system are
automatically created. The two systems share a single geometry, and the fluid-flow Solution cell
provides data that are treated as an Imported Load in the static structural Setup cell.
Similar coupled systems may also be manually created between Fluid Flow (ANSYS CFX) analysis and
any of the following analysis systems:
• Transient Structural (p. 84)
• Steady-State Thermal (p. 81)
• Transient Thermal (p. 85)
FSI: Fluid Flow (Fluent) > Static Structural

This template creates two systems, a Fluid Flow (Fluent) analysis system and a Static Structural ana-
lysis system. The Geometry cells for the two systems share a single geometry, and the Solution cell
in the Fluid Flow (Fluent) system provides pressure load data to the Setup cell in the Static Structural
system.
Pre-Stress Modal
This template creates two systems, a Static Structural analysis system that transfers data into a Modal
analysis system. The two systems share Engineering Data, Geometry, and Model cells. The Static
Structural solution provides the necessary solver files as input to the Modal Setup cell.
For more information, see Pre-Stress in the Mechanical User's Guide.
Random Vibration
This template creates two systems, a Modal analysis system that transfers data into a Random Vibration
analysis system. The two systems share Engineering Data, Geometry, and Model cells. The Modal
solution provides the necessary solver files as input to the Random Vibration Setup cell.
For more information, see Random Vibration Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide.
Response Spectrum
This template creates two systems, a Modal analysis system that transfers data into a Response
Spectrum analysis system. The two systems share Engineering Data, Geometry, and Model cells.
The Modal solution provides the necessary solver files as input to the Response Spectrum Setup cell.
For more information, see Response Spectrum Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide.
Thermal-Stress
This template creates two systems, a Steady-State Thermal analysis system that transfers data into a
Static Structural analysis system. The two systems share Engineering Data, Geometry, and Model
cells. The Steady-State Thermal solution provides temperature input to the Static Structural Setup
cell.
For more information, see Steady-State Thermal Analysis in the Mechanical User's Guide and Initial
Temperature in the Mechanical User's Guide.
Creating a Custom System

You can create a custom system and add it to the Toolbox to easily build frequently-used projects.
To create a custom system:
1. Add systems to the Project Schematic.
2. Right-click the white space on the Project Schematic and select Add to Custom from the context
menu.
Design Exploration
3. In the Name field, type a name for the custom system.
4. Click OK.
The new custom template appears in the Toolbox under Custom Systems.
To delete the template, right-click the template name and select Delete from the context menu.
This animation is presented as an animated GIF in the online help. If you are reading the PDF version of
the help and want to see the animated GIF, access this section in the online help. The interface shown
may differ slightly from that in your installed product.
Design Exploration
DesignXplorer systems can be added beneath the Parameter Set bar, allowing you to perform in-depth
Design Exploration studies.
DesignXplorer is a powerful approach for designing and understanding the analysis response of parts
and assemblies. It uses a deterministic method based on Design of Experiments (DOE) and various op-
timization methods, with parameters as its fundamental components. These parameters can come from
any supported system, DesignModeler, and various CAD systems. Responses can be studied, quantified,
and graphed. Using a Goal Driven Optimization method, the deterministic method can obtain a multi-
plicity of design points. You can explore the calculated Response Surface and generate design points
directly from the surface or transfer data from other analysis systems or components to a Direct Optim-
ization system.
The following Design Exploration systems are available in Workbench:
• 3D ROM
• Direct Optimization
• Parameters Correlation
• Response Surface
• Response Surface Optimization
• Six Sigma Analysis
These systems are available only if you have installed the ANSYS DesignXplorer product and have an
appropriate license.
For an overview of these systems and links to more information about them, see What is Design Explor-
ation?
Submitting Solutions
You can use the Solution Process properties of a system's Solution cell to control where you run the
solution. You can choose from the update options listed here; the defaults for these options are determ-
ined by the settings specified in the Solution Process user preferences (p. 342).
To submit solutions:
1. Right-click the Solution cell of a system and select Properties from the context menu.
2. In the Properties pane, from the Update Option drop-down list, select from the following options:
• Run in Foreground: Runs the solution within the current Workbench session. This option is appropriate
for quick-running solutions that fit within the resources of your workstation. This option is also the
most robust as it is not possible to make changes that impact the current solution. When a solution is
executing in the foreground, you cannot change or save the project, but you can interrupt or stop the
solution.
For Polyflow and CFX component or analysis systems, you can switch an update in progress on
the local machine to background mode by right-clicking the Solution cell and selecting Switch
Active Solution to Background.
• Run in Background: Runs the solution in the background on the local machine. This option is appro-
priate for solutions that fit within the resources of your workstation but will take longer to execute.
When a solution runs in the background, the cell enters the Pending state (p. 367) and you can interact
with the project to exit Workbench or work with other parts of the project. If you make changes to the
project that are upstream of the updating cell, then the cell is not in an up-to-date state when the
solution completes.
For Mechanical APDL, the Download Distributed Files property is not available and does appear
in the General Property table during foreground and background updates.
Note:
If you choose the Run in Background option for multiple solution components or
for one solution component with multiple design points, your project and design
point updates run multiple instances of the solver at the same time. If you are using
the Share single license between applications when possible option in the license
preferences, only one of the solver runs can succeed. The others fail because they
cannot access the single license. There are two workarounds for this problem:
– Change the license preference to be Use a separate license for each application. This
preference allocates one license for each running solver.
– Instead of using the Run in Background option, use the Submit to Remote Solve Man-
ager option and select the Local RSM queue. This is provided that a basic ANSYS Cluster
(ARC) has been configured to restrict the number of cores that can be used for a job. For
more information, see Overview of an ANSYS RSM Cluster (ARC) Configuration and Setting
the Maximum Number of Cores to be Used on an Execution Node in the Remote Solve
Manager User's Guide.
• Use application default (Mechanical application only): Runs the solution using the solver settings
specified in the Mechanical application.
• Submit to Remote Solve Manager: Runs the solution in the background by submitting the solution
to RSM. Use this option for long-running solutions that do not fit within your workstation's resources.
When you submit a solution, RSM can send it to a remote compute cluster, or to a Cloud portal. RSM
can also submit jobs to the local machine to allow the queuing of solutions on your workstation. When
a solution is submitted to RSM, the Solution cell enters the Pending state (p. 367), similar to the Run in
Background option.
For more information on submitting solutions to RSM, see Submitting Solutions to Remote Solve
Manager (p. 275).
3. To save the project, from the menu bar, select File → Save.
If you choose not to save the project and any cells are configured to use RSM or run in the back-
ground, you must change the solution process settings of those cells to run in the foreground
before you can update.
4. To start the solution, select the appropriate option from the application, or right-click the Solution cell
and select Update from the context menu.

You can open the Mechanical application without consuming a license. Two common applications for
using Mechanical in read-only mode are:
• Retrieving data during a Remote Solve Manager (RSM) run in order to monitor its progress.
• Reviewing results of an already solved project.
This option is not available when the cell state is Refresh Required (p. 367) or worse.
To open Mechanical without a license:
1. Right-click one of the following cells in a Mechanical system:
• Model
• Section Data
• Setup
• Solution
• Results
2. Select Edit in Read-only Mode from the context menu.
Updating Systems
Once the systems are placed on the Project Schematic, you can update them in various ways.
Related topics:
Naming and Renaming Systems
Duplicating Systems
Moving Systems
Deleting Systems
Replacing Systems
Creating Project, System, and Cell Notes
Updating and Refreshing System Components
Editing Shared Data
Clearing Generated Data
Resetting Data

In general, it is good practice to give each system a descriptive name that is meaningful for you and
that indicates the details of the system. Workbench enables you to specify a name for each system,
either initially when the system is added to your project, or at any time afterward.
Related Topics:
Naming Systems
Renaming Systems
Naming Systems
When a new system is added to the Project Schematic, the default name of the system is in focus
(highlighted), and editable, as shown below.
Updating Systems
To name the system, select from one of the following options:
• To accept the default name for the system (the default name is usually the same as the system type), press
Enter or select any other action in the user interface.
• To enter a name on a single line of text, type the new name and press Enter.
• To enter a name that spans multiple lines of text:
1. Type the first line of text.
2. To start a new line, press Ctrl+Enter.
3. Repeat the previous two steps until the entire name is shown in the text field.
4. To save the name, press Enter.
After entering a new name or accepting the default name, the focus moves to the system cell requiring
attention first (see Understanding Cell States (p. 367)). By applying focus in this manner, Workbench
draws your attention to the cell where you will most likely begin working with your system (see
Working Through a System (p. 55)).
Renaming Systems
You can change the system name again after it has been named.
To rename a system:
1. Double-click the system name or right-click the system header and select Rename from the context
menu.
2. Type the new single or multiple line name.
3. Press Enter.
Updating Systems
Duplicating Systems
Duplicating a system creates a copy of the selected system. All data associated with unshared cells in
the system is copied to, or shared with, the duplicate system.
Related Topics:
Duplicating a Single System
Duplicating Multiple Systems
Duplicating a Single System

You can duplicate a single system so that the cells can either remain independent of the original
system, or where the cell data is shared.
Creating Independent Duplicate Systems

To create a duplicate system where all cells can be edited independently of the original system, right-
click the system header and select Duplicate from the context menu.
Note:
When a Mechanical system containing a Results cell is duplicated, the results are not
copied to the new system.
The following Show-Me Animations are presented as animated GIFs in the online help. If you are reading
Duplicating Systems
Creating Shared Duplicate Systems

To create a duplicate system where cell data is shared, right-click a cell and select Duplicate from
the context menu.
All cells above the one selected for duplication are shared. The cell selected for duplication can be
edited independently. For example:
• If you select Duplicate from the Geometry cell, the Engineering Data cell is shared, allowing you to edit
the Geometry cell in the duplicate system to investigate a geometric alternative. Data from the Model
cell and below is copied from the original system and can be modified independently.
• If you select Duplicate from the Model cell, the Engineering Data and Geometry cells are shared, allowing
you to edit the Model cell in the duplicate system to investigate an alternative modeling approach. All
data in the Setup cell and below is copied from the original system and can be modified independently.
• If you select Duplicate from the Setup cell, the Engineering Data, Geometry and Model cells are shared,
allowing you to edit the Setup cell in the duplicate system to investigate alternate loads and constraints.
All data in the cells below Setup is copied from the original system and can be modified independently.
Duplicating Multiple Systems

You can duplicate more than one system at a time.
To duplicate multiple systems:
1. Select all systems to be duplicated using one of the following methods:
• Box-select by clicking and dragging the selection box over the required systems.
Updating Systems
• Press Ctrl and click the required systems.
2. Right-click the header of one of the selected systems.
3. Select Duplicate from the context menu.
4. If you are duplicating systems linked to an upstream system by shared and/or data transfer connections,
select from the following options:
• To keep the duplicate systems linked to the upstream systems, click Yes.
• To delete the upstream connections from the duplicated systems, click No.
Note:
System Coupling and Turbogrid's Performance Map systems do not work with multiple
system duplication.
Moving Systems
You can move an existing system to another position on the Project Schematic.
To move a system:
Deleting Systems
1. Click the header cell of the system.
2. Drag the system to the new location.
The preview indicates possible target locations for the system.
Deleting Systems
You can delete a single system or multiple systems on the Project Schematic.
Related Topics:
Deleting a Single System
Deleting Multiple Systems
Deleting a Single System

You can delete a system from the Project Schematic.
To delete a single system:
1. Right-click the system header and select Delete from the context menu.
2. To acknowledge the message and complete the deletion process, click OK.
Deleting Multiple Systems

You can delete more than one system at a time.
To delete multiple systems:
1. Select all systems to be deleted using one of the following methods:
3. Select Delete from the context menu.
4. To acknowledge the message and complete the deletion process, click OK.
Note:
If you delete an upstream system that is providing equivalent inputs, the system is deleted
and its downstream systems automatically regenerate their deleted containers.
Updating Systems
Replacing Systems
You can replace an existing system with different type of system. This functionality is available only
from systems that use the Mechanical application.
Note:
If you use Replace With to replace a Mechanical system that has a Section Data cell with
another Mechanical system, the new environment is added and the original Mechanical en-
vironment (including boundary conditions and results) is deleted.
To replace a system:
1. Right-click the system header and select Replace With from the context menu.
2. From the list of all system types that are available to replace the existing system, select a new system.
Note:
The units setting specified in an existing system is not maintained in the replacement system.
In the replacement system, you must specify the units setting you want to use.
Creating Project, System, and Cell Notes

Notes allow you to annotate your projects, systems, and system cells. There is no limit to the amount
of text you can type into a note; as you type, the pane increases in length. The content of notes is also
included in project reports.
To create notes:
1. Right-click the area of the project you want to add a note to and select Add Note from the context menu.
• To open the context menu for the Project Schematic, right-click the white space of the pane.
• To open the context menu for the system, right-click the system header.
• To open the context menu for a cell, right-click the cell.
2. In the yellow pane, type the note text.
3. To close the note, click outside the pane.
4. To view the note:
• Right-click the area of the project containing the note and select Properties from the context menu.
• Click the green triangle in the upper right corner of a system or cell to open the note.
5. To edit the note text:
• Right-click the area of the project containing the note and select Edit Note from the context menu.
• Click the green triangle in the upper right corner of a system or cell to open the note.
6. To delete a note, open the note in edit mode and delete all text from the yellow pane.
When you click outside of the yellow pane to close it, the note is deleted.

Updating system components refreshes input data and generates required output data when one or
more components of the project have been changed in some way.
Refreshing system components reads in all modified upstream data but does not necessarily regenerate
the outputs of the component itself.
Updating Systems
You can update or refresh an entire project, a system, or a cell within a system.
Note:
In some cases, the update, update upstream components, and refresh operations may be
available while other operations, such as clear generated data, reset, delete, and duplicate,
are still in progress. If the operation is in progress on a separate system, you can apply the
Update, update upstream components, or refresh operation to the current system. However,
if the operation is in progress on either the current system or a system connected to it, you
cannot initiate the new operation until the in-progress operation has completed.
Related Topics:
Updating a Project
Updating a System
Updating a System Cell
Updating Upstream Components
Interrupting an Update Process
Refreshing System Components
Updating a Project
To update all cells in the project that are in an Update Required (p. 367) state, update the entire project.
If a project contains multiple design points, only the current design point is updated.
If a project contains parametric (DesignXplorer) systems, updating a parametric system updates the
design points within that system, but does not update the design points in the parameter set.
Parametric systems are not updated when a project update is submitted to Remote Solve Manager
(RSM). For more information, see Submitting Project Updates to Remote Solve Manager (p. 278).
To update a project:
If you choose not to save the project and any cells are configured to use RSM or run in the
background, you must change the solution process settings of those cells to run in the foreground
2. To update the project:
• From the menu bar select Tools → Update Project.
• On the Project tab toolbar click Update Project.
• Right-click the white space on the Project Schematic and select Update Project from the context
menu.
Updating a System
You can update a system so that all cells within that system contain the most current data.
If a system contains a coupled cell, the update option on the coupled cell is disabled. To update the
system that contains a coupled cell, you must update the coupled system so that both the coupled
cell and all cells dependent on the coupled cell can be updated.
To update a system:
2. To update the system, right-click the system header and select Update from the context menu.
Updating a System Cell

You can update a cell within a system to ensure it contains the most current data. When you update
the cell, any upstream cells upon which the cell is dependent are also updated. You cannot update
a cell if another update is already running on the cell or on any of the upstream cells.
If you update a cell in a Refresh Required (p. 367) state, the refresh operation is performed before the
update operation.
To update a system cell:
2. To update the cell, right-click it and select Update from the context menu.
Updating Upstream Components

Updating upstream components ensures that everything upstream of the selected cell is up-to- date
so that the cell is ready to edit or update, without updating the cell itself.
The advantage to updating only the upstream components of a cell is that you are alerted to any
errors or potential effects on downstream cells and can make necessary adjustments before launching
a full update. This option is especially useful when you have a complex system and the cell update
could require a significant time investment and/or computer resources.
To update upstream components:
Updating Systems
2. Right-click the required cell and select Update Upstream Components from the context menu.
Interrupting an Update Process

After starting an update, you can interrupt, or cancel the process. Be aware that not all processes can
be interrupted and some processes that are interruptible may have periods where they cannot be
interrupted. Because some processes can stop cleanly only at certain checkpoints, the delay between
the interrupt request and the actual interruption can sometimes be lengthy.
Note:
The only ANSYS Mechanical systems that can be interrupted are Static Structural and
Transient Structural.
To interrupt an update process:
1. To open the Progress pane, select View → Progress from the menu bar.
2. To the right of the process you want to interrupt, click .
The following dialog box displays:
3. Select from the following options:
• Interrupt: Stops the update at the next point where data can be safely stored for later use.
• Abort: Stops the update immediately without checking if data associated with the current action
can be stored.
When an update is interrupted, the state of the Solution cell becomes Interrupted, Update Re-
quired (p. 367).
Refreshing System Components

Refreshing system components reads in all modified upstream data but does not necessarily regenerate
the outputs of the component itself. For example, if the geometry changed, placing the Mesh cell in
a Refresh Required (p. 367) state, refreshing the Mesh cell updates the geometry without generating
a new mesh (which could potentially be a lengthy operation).
To refresh system components:
• To refresh all cells in the project that are in a Refresh Required state, from the menu bar select Tools →
Refresh Project, or on the Project tab toolbar click Refresh Project.
• To refresh a system, right-click the system header and select Refresh from the context menu.
• To refresh a cell, right-click the cell and select Refresh from the context menu.
Editing Shared Data

Links that are blue and drawn with a square terminator indicate that only one instance of the data exists,
and it is shared between the connected systems. In order to edit the details of that data, you must edit
the cell on the upstream system connected by these links.
In the example shown in the figure below, the Geometry cell from system A is shared with the Geometry
cell in system B, which is in turn shared with the Geometry cell of system C. To edit the geometry for
any of these systems, you must initiate the edit operation from the Geometry cell in system A. You can
either double-click the cell or right-click the cell and select Edit from the context menu.

Clearing generated data removes or erases any data that the cell has generated, or is prepared to
generate and store, if any such data is present. This data includes mesh, input files, solver files, and
Updating Systems
cached solution data. This operation may alter the state of the current cell and cells downstream from
the selected cell.
Important:
For some systems, this operation results in specific behavior depending on the selected cell
and in some cases specific system data (such as existing links). Refer to the following table
for specific actions.
Cell Data Behavior Description

Mechanical systems
Model Deletes mesh, input files, and solver files. Cleans results.
Setup Deletes input and solver files. Cleans results.
Solution Deletes solver files. Cleans results. Input files (such as
ds.dat, CARep.xml) are left intact.
Results Cleans any solved results. Solver files are left intact.
Setup Imported Cleans imported load and deletes transfer xml file. User
Temperature: specifications (such as scoping) are intact.
One-way FSI
input
Setup Imported Cleans imported load and deletes transfer xml file. User
Temperature: specifications (such as scoping) are intact.
Thermal stress
Model Link to CFX Deletes SYS.cmdb.
Model Link to Deletes SYS.cdb.
Mechanical
APDL
Setup Link to No additional action required (ds.dat is the natural output
Mechanical from the Setup cell).
APDL
Solution Link to No additional action required (file.rst is the natural
Mechanical output from the Solution cell).
APDL
Mechanical APDL
Analysis Deletes ANSYS-generated files (created during Update or
Edit). Files added using input links or Add xxx File are left
intact.
Fluent
Solution Internal, link to Closes the session without saving data. Deletes all files
initialization currently associated with the cell (latest available solution
data data). Any schematic input links remain intact.
To clear generated data:
1. Right-click the cell to clear and select Clear Generated Data from the context menu.
2. To complete the operation, click OK.
Resetting Data
Resetting Data
Resetting data removes or erases both input and output data to the cell and sets the cell state back to
the default. Any reference files are removed.
Reset may alter the state of cells downstream from the selected cell. If you have two systems that share
cells, reset is not available from the cells that are shared, only from the source (the cell that is being
shared from).
Reset clears all solution state data and cache data for all design points in the project.
Important:
For some systems, this operation results in specific behavior depending on the selected cell
and in some cases specific system data (such as existing links). Refer to the following table
for specific actions.

Mechanical systems
Geometry Clears the geometry source and resets geometry properties to the defaults.
Model Closes the Mechanical session (if open) and deletes the .mechdb from
disk. The system is in a state as if the geometry was never attached.
Setup Deletes any objects under the Environment (such as loads and supports).
Solution Sets the values in Analysis Settings back to the defaults.
Results Deletes any results, probes, or post tools from Mechanical.
Setup Imported Deletes the Import Load from Mechanical and also deletes CFD result file
Temperature: from disk. State on Setup cell goes to Refresh Required.
One-way FSI
input
Setup Imported No additional action required.
Temperature:
Thermal stress
Model Link to CFX No additional action required.
Model Link to No additional action required.
Mechanical APDL
Setup Link to No additional action required.
Mechanical APDL
Solution Link to No additional action required.
Mechanical APDL
Mechanical APDL
Analysis Deletes all files in the Mechanical APDL System directory and resets any
properties (as set in the Properties pane) back to the default. Any
schematic input links remain intact and the needed files are copied back
into the system upon Refresh. Any manually- added files (Add
Input/Reference) are deleted and removed from the Outline pane.
Fluent
Updating Systems

Setup Link to imported Closes the Fluent session without saving data. Deletes all internal files.
case and other Links to imported files are deleted (but the file is not deleted.) If Mesh is
input files, coming from an upstream simulation Mesh cell, the file is unregistered
settings, and and might get deleted if the upstream Mesh cell no longer refers to it. All
possibly other associated input parameters are deleted. Launcher settings are set to the
input files default value.
Solution Internal, link to Closes the session without saving data. Deletes all files currently associated
initialization data with the cell (the latest available solution data). Any schematic input links
remain intact. Any imported initial solution data file is unregistered. (Only
the link is removed; the file is not deleted.) All associated output
parameters are deleted. Launcher settings are set to the default values.
To reset data:
1. Right-click the cell to reset and select Reset from the context menu.
2. To complete the operation, click OK.
Using Journals and Scripts
Workbench offers the ability to record the actions you perform in the user interface, also known as
journaling. Journals are recorded as Python-based scripts. You can modify these scripts or create new
ones by scripting. Together, these capabilities allow you to quickly and easily replay analyses you've
already run using recorded journals, as well as to extend functionality, automate repetitive analyses,
and run analyses in batch mode.
For detailed instructions on using journaling and scripting, as well as a complete list of all available
data containers, namespaced commands, and data types, see the Discovery AIM and Workbench Scripting
Guide.
Journaling
A journal is a record of all operations that have modified data during your session. Based on your
preferences setting, a journal of your full session is automatically saved to the location you specify (see
Setting Journaling Preferences (p. 211)). You can also choose to record part of a session to a journal file,
capturing a specific set of actions. Playing back the journal recreates the recorded actions exactly.
Journaling and scripting tools (including recording and playback) are available through the scripting
menu and can be performed by anyone using Workbench. Use journaled sessions to restore work after
a crash.
Journals are platform independent and portable, subject to file location consistency between accounts
(see File Path Handling in ANSYS Workbench for details on file path handling within journals and scripts).
They can be used with any ANSYS installation (release 12.1 or higher).
Scripting
A script is a set of instructions to be issued to Workbench. The script can be a modified journal, or it
can be a completely new set of instructions that you write directly.
The creation of scripts requires a general understanding of programming constructs and paradigms.
Workbench uses an object-based approach, similar to object-oriented programming.
Related topics:
Setting Journaling Preferences
Recording a Journal
Playing Back a Recorded Journal
Using the Command Window
Setting Journaling Preferences

You can set journaling preferences such as the default directory where journals will be written and how
long to keep a journal file.
Using Journals and Scripts
To set journaling preferences:
1. From the menu bar, select Tools → Options → Journals and Logs.
2. To have Workbench automatically write journal files, select Record Journal Files.
3. Specify the default location where journal files are written.
This is the location that the browser opens to automatically when you choose to begin recording
a journal. You can also browse to a different location before saving a particular journal.
4. Specify the number of days to keep a journal file.
5. Specify how long (in seconds) to pause between each command when running a journal file.
6. To save your settings, click OK.
Recording a Journal
Follow the steps described below to record a journal and then to playback a journal interactively. To
use the command window, see Using the Command Window (p. 213).
To record a journal:
1. From the menu bar, select File → Scripting → Record Journal.
2. Specify the name and location of the journal file and click Save.
3. Use the user interface to work through your analysis as you normally would.
Note:
Not all actions are journaled—only actions that change project data. Some examples of
actions that are not journaled include:
• Interface-only actions, such as:
Interrupting a Solve operation

Launching help (including quick help and the Sidebar Help pane)
Running the View Solver Output option from VistaTF's Solution cell.
• Actions taken in some data-integrated applications; see Scripting and Data-Integrated Ap-
plications.
4. From the menu bar, select File → Scripting → Stop Recording Journal.
5. A message appears informing you that the recording will stop. Click OK.
Playing Back a Recorded Journal

You can replay all of the previously recorded actions by playing back the journal file.
To play back a recorded journal:
1. From the menu bar, select File → Scripting → Run Script File.
2. Select the journal file to be played back and click Open.

The command window allows you to invoke commands, access data entity properties, and invoke data
entity and data container methods interactively, one at a time.
Note:
The console window is the same as the command window but is present when running in
batch mode to provide a way of working directly with commands outside of the user interface.
To use the command window:
1. From the menu bar, select File → Scripting → Open Command Window.
2. Enter the commands you want to run, one at a time.
As you enter each command, the appropriate action is triggered in Workbench.
Working with the Chart Pane
The Chart pane is available for Workbench applications. Applications can display data using a number
of different basic chart types. Each chart type has editable display properties.
Related topics:
Chart Types
Setting Chart Properties
Changing the Display of a 3D Chart
Using the Triad
Saving a Chart
Chart Types
Although the content of a chart will be tailored to the application that is displaying it, there are a
standard set of charts that you might see in Workbench.
XY Plot
Plots lines, points, steps, bars, splines, scatter, or shaded regions in two dimensions.
XYZ Plot
Plots lines, points, steps, bars, splines, scatter, or shaded regions in three dimensions.
Chart Types
Pie Chart
Displays variables as proportionally sized segments of a circle. If a variable to be displayed has no value,
that variable displays as a ring around the circle.
Spider Chart
Displays variables as proportionally sized segments of a circle, in multiple dimensions. Good for displaying
between three and ten variables. Can usually be displayed as a parallel coordinate plot also.
Parallel Coordinate Plot
Displays variables (for example, design points.) using parallel Y axes to represent all of the inputs and
outputs. Selecting an axis allows you to filter the variables shown by dragging the arrows at the ends
of the axis. Variables with points outside of the axis range are eliminated from the chart. Can usually
be displayed as a spider chart also.
Correlation Matrix
Displays how closely the various input and output parameters are coupled. The strength of correlation
is indicated by color in the matrix.

Each chart has properties that can be set for chart data and chart display. This section describes chart
display properties, common to charts displayed by any Workbench application. For more information
about chart data properties, refer to the help for the individual applications displaying the chart.
The various chart properties are displayed in the Properties pane (p. 362).
Note:
Only the properties that are applicable for the current chart type are displayed when you
edit a chart component (an axis, for example).
To set chart properties:
1. Right-click a part of a chart and select Edit Properties from the context menu.
• To set axis properties, right-click on, or outside of, an axis.
• To set legend properties, right-click the border or background of the legend.
• To set variable properties, right-click the variable plot on the chart or right-click the variable name in
the legend.
• To edit chart properties, right-click the background of a chart.
2. Set the required properties.
Axis Properties
The axis properties that are available depend on whether the chart axis is discrete or continuous.
Title Sets the name for the axis (defaults to variable name).
Title Background Sets the background color used for the axis name.
Color
Show Grid • When selected, displays a grid for this chart axis
• When cleared, hides the grid
Automatic Range • When selected uses automatic scaling for the axis
• When cleared uses Range Minimum and Range Maximum for axis scaling
if they fall within the data bounds
Range Minimum Sets the minimum range of the axis and is displayed when Automatic Range
is cleared.
Range Maximum Sets the maximum range of the axis and is displayed when Automatic Range
is cleared.
Is Logarithmic • When selected, sets axis scaling to be logarithmic
• When cleared, sets axis scaling to be linear
Is Usability • When selected, displays a line/bar plot of the cross-section data in a
perpendicular direction to the axis direction
• When cleared, hides the line/bar plot
Legend Properties
Legend properties can also be set as part of general chart properties. If you click a legend variable,
the variable properties are displayed instead of the legend properties.
Visible • When selected, displays the legend for the chart
• When cleared, hides the legend for the chart
Note:
If there are too many entries in the legend, the legend does
not display, even if Visible is selected.
Style Displays the legend entries either horizontally or vertically and allows the
legend to be expanded in the same direction, if it provides any benefit
(defaults to vertical).
Foreground Color Sets the color of the legend border. The legend border default is to have no
color. You can apply a new color from the color wheel or click More and
change the Alpha channel to 0 for transparent or 255 for opaque.
Background Color Sets the color of the legend background. The legend background default is
to have no color. You can apply a new color from the color wheel or click
More and change the Alpha channel to 0 for transparent or 255 for opaque.
Variable Properties
Label Sets the name for the selected variable plot.
Is Included in When selected, adds the selected variable plot to the legend.
Legend
Display As Sets the shape for the selected variable plot.
Automatic Range • When selected uses automatic scaling for the variable values
• When cleared uses Range Minimum and Range Maximum for variable
value scaling if they fall within the data bounds
Range Minimum Sets minimum range of variable values displayed.

Range Maximum Sets maximum range of variable values displayed.
Style Display Properties
When plot rendering is controlled per variable, the style display properties appear when you
edit the variable properties. When plot line rendering is controlled generally rather than per
variable (for example, spider charts), the style display properties appear when you edit the chart
properties.
Smoothed Edges Renders lines and surfaces with anti-aliasing set on so that the line or surface
appears to be smooth.
Line Style Sets the type of line used for the plot.
Fill Style Sets the fill style for objects in the plot that use a fill.
Line Colors Sets the color sequence for multiple lines displayed on the chart.
Fill Colors Sets the color sequence for sequential symbols or gradient used for plot
display.
Number of Color When set to 0, the gradient is displayed as a smooth graduation between
Bands values, rather than banded, where a single color is shown for a range of
values.
Relative Bar Width Sets the width of a bar as a proportion of available space [0 - 1], determined
by the maximum size bar that can be displayed without overlapping any
adjacent bars of the same variable (if other variables appear between bars
of this variable, making the bar wider may overlap those intervening variables).
Relative Bar Offset Sets the start position of a bar, proportional to the minimum point where
the bar could be placed to the maximum point where the bar could be placed
[0 - 1], with the maximum size based on the same criteria as Relative Bar
Width.
Show Linear When selected, causes the ends of a line plot to extend to the edge of
Interpolation of Lines the chart, when the plot is not against a discrete axis.
Note:
In most cases, properties are not shown if they are not

applicable to the item selected. However, Show Linear
Interpolation of Lines is displayed whether the axis is discrete
or continuous, but it only applies in cases of continuous axes.
The option will have no effect if you set it when the plot is
displayed on a discrete axis.
Symbol Outline Sets the color used to outline displayed symbols.

Colors
Symbol Size Sets the size of displayed symbols in pixels [1 - 16].
Line Width Sets the width of lines (including lines outlining bars), in pixels [1 - 10].
Chart Properties
When plot line rendering is controlled generally rather than per variable (for example, in spider
charts), the style display properties also appear when you edit the chart properties.
Title Sets the chart title that appears in the Chart pane title bar.
Chart Type Allows some charts to be displayed as another chart type.
Display Percentages Turns on percentage values on pie charts.

You can manipulate the display of a 3D chart using the zoom, pan, and rotate features.
To change the display of a 3D chart:
• To zoom in or out of the entire chart, click the chart and use the scroll wheel or press Shift + middle mouse
button.
The chart expands or shrinks as you roll the wheel (or move the mouse) toward you or away from
you, remaining centered in the pane. The chart can be panned or rotated when it is magnified.
• To magnify a particular area of a chart, right-click and drag a box top to bottom over the area you want to
view.
The contents of the box you draw are magnified, so the smaller the box you draw, the closer the
magnification on a particular area.
• To reduce the chart to a particular size, right-click and draw a box bottom to top over the chart.
The chart zooms out to roughly correspond to the size of the box that you have drawn, so a very
small box gives you a tiny chart.
• To pan, press Ctrl + middle mouse button and move the mouse left or right.
Using the Triad

On three dimensional charts, the triad appears in the lower left corner showing the orientation of the
three axes for the current view of the chart. The x axis is red, the y axis is green, and the z axis is blue.
There is a light blue ball in the triad that indicates the orientation ISO z axis up position of the chart.
If you click this ball, it sets your chart to be ISO z axis up, fit to window.
If you move your cursor around the triad, a yellow arrow shows the direction that corresponds to the
position of your cursor (+x, -x, +y, -y, +z, -z). If you click the arrow, it changes your chart so that the
chart axis indicated by the arrow is facing out.
There are several shortcut keys that can be used when you are viewing a 3D chart:
• f – fits the chart to the window
• x – displays the x+ view, fit to window
• y – displays the y+ view, fit to window
• z – displays the z+ view, fit to window
• i – displays the chart in the ISO z axis up position, fit to window
Saving a Chart
You can save the chart that you are viewing as a graphic.
To save a chart:
1. Right-click the background of the chart and select Save Image As from the context menu.
2. From the Size drop-down list, select the image resolution to use when saving the chart.
3. To the right of the File field, click the ellipses .
Saving a Chart
4. In the File Name field, type a name for the image.
5. From the Save as type drop-down list, select either PNG image or BMP image.
6. To save the settings, click Save.
7. To save the image, click OK.
Working with Project Reports
Workbench project reports generate a visual snapshot of your project. The contents and organization
of the report reflect the layout of the Project Schematic, with sections for global project information,
analysis system information, system cell information, and where applicable, content provided by applic-
ations in the project.
The report contains basic project information, including:
• Export time and date
• Workbench version number
• A graphic of the systems as shown in the Project Schematic
• File information
• Parameter and design point information
• System and cell information
• Contents of notes
The specific information provided varies depending on the contents of the project.
Note:
At this time, DesignXplorer, CFD-Post, and AIM are the only applications that provide the
project report with detailed report content. Content for other applications is limited to the
data visible at the project level (for example, in the Properties pane for the associated cell
in the Project Schematic).
The report is written to the user_files directory under the project directory by default.
If the project includes parameters and report content has been provided by an application in the project
during a design point update, then the design points table contains links to sub-reports for each design
point. Detailed report content for each design point can be accessed by a hyperlink in the Report
column of the design points table in the project report. Clicking the link opens a sub-report that contains
the application-specific content for that design point (if available).
Related topics:
Setting Project Report Options
Including CFD-Post Data in the Project Report
Exporting a Project Report
Editing Project Reports
Viewing Report Images
Working with Project Reports
Setting Project Report Options

You can control whether the report opens by default using the project reporting settings.
To configure project report options:
1. From the menu bar, select Tools → Options.
2. In the Options dialog, select Project Reporting from the navigation tree.
3. To launch your default browser and load the report immediately after it is generated, select the After
exporting report, automatically open in default browser check box.
If you do not select this option, you must navigate to the report file and open it manually.
4. Click OK.
Including CFD-Post Data in the Project Report

You can set whether or not to include CFD-Post data in the project report.
To include CFD-Post data:
1. In the Project Schematic, right-click the Results cell for an ANSYS CFD analysis system or Results system
and select Properties.
2. In the Properties pane, select the Publish Report check box.
3. Repeat the previous two steps for each Results cell to be included in the project report.
Note:
• Only 2D content such as graphs and figures are supported in the project report. If interactive 3D
content exists, it is displayed in 2D format.
• The format/style of CFD-Post reports produced from Workbench are consistent with general
Workbench-produced reports; reports from standalone CFD-Post use the standard CFD-Post
format.
Exporting a Project Report

You can export a report of the current project in .html/.htm format.
To export a project report:
1. From the menu bar, select File → Export Report.
2. To change the default file name, type a new name in the File name field.
3. Click Save.
Editing Project Reports

Once you have generated a project report, you can edit its contents.
To edit a project report:
1. To open the report file with an HTML-adapted editor (such as Microsoft Word), right-click the file and select
Open with.
2. Edit the report contents and formatting as needed.
3. Save the file to a location outside Workbench.

When you have a solved project that has design points, if a project report has been generated, you can
preview design point images from the report in the Parameter Set tab.
To view report images:
1. In the Project Schematic, right-click the Results cell and select Properties.
2. In the Properties pane, select the Publish Report check box.
3. In the toolbar, click Update All Design Points.
4. When the project has updated, click the Parameter Set bar.
5. In the Properties pane, under Design Point Report, note the list of PNG files that are available for design
points in the Report Image field.
The image files are located in the following directory:
[project_location]\dp[current_design_point]\[system_type]\Post\Report\Re-
port
6. Double-click the Parameter Set bar.
7. In the design points table, click a thumbnail in the Report Image column to open the image file.
To clear the images, in the Properties pane, set Report Image to None.
Note:
The image in the Report Image column is the default image for a CFX or Fluent report
(Generic Report Figure 1). To have a different image:
1. Set up CFD-Post to display the image you want in the report.
2. Click the Figure icon in the toolbar.
3. In the Outline pane, disable Generic Report Figure 1 and enable Figure 1.
4. In Workbench, click Update All Design Points.
Saving and Managing Project Files
The file management system in Workbench stores several different files under a single project, using
directory trees to organize files relevant to each system and the applications used in the system.
When the project file (<filename>.wbpj) is created, Workbench creates a project folder named
<filename>_files where <filename> is a name you provide. All files relevant to the project are
saved within this folder.
The primary subdirectories within the project folder are dp0, dpall, and user_files.
We strongly recommend that you use caution when directly modifying any of the content in any of the
Workbench project directories or subdirectories other than user_files. You should work through
the Workbench user interface to manage your project as much as possible. Workbench may not recognize
or be aware of any changes that you make directly in the file system (such as adding or removing a
file).
Important:
If you are resuming a project in Mechanical on the Linux platform, there is a restriction that
the path to the project, as well as the project name, include ASCII characters only, otherwise,
the project cannot open.
Related topics:
Saving a Project File
Archiving a Project
Saving an Archive File
Exporting Systems to a New Project
Working in the Files Pane
Recovering Projects
Unlocking Project Files
Project Directories
Understanding Project File Management
Saving a Project File

To create a project file and folder, save the project.
To save the project:
1. Select one of the following options:
• To save the current project, from the menu bar, select File → Save or from the main toolbar, click .
• To save the current project under a different name or location, from the menu bar, select File → Save
As or from the main toolbar, click .
2. If prompted:
a. Browse to the location where you want to save the file.
b. Type a name for the project.
c. Click Save.
Archiving a Project
If you want to send a project to a colleague or to ANSYS Technical Support, or need to package all of
the files, you can archive the project.
To archive a project:
1. Optionally, specify the compression level (p. 338) for the archive file.
2. If you have imported an external file into the project, and that external file refers to other files (for example,
when a CAD assembly is linked to the CAD parts), copy the referenced files into the user_files directory
to ensure they are added to the archive.
If you do not save the project before archiving, you are prompted to save before proceeding.
4. From the menu bar, select File → Archive.
5. In the Save Archive dialog box, navigate to the directory where you want to save the file.
6. From the Save as type list, select the archive type:
• Archive Files (*.wbpz)
• Zip File (*.zip)
7. Click Save.
8. In the Archive Options dialog box, select the optional items to archive:
• Result/solution and retained design point files
• Imported files external to project directory
• Items in the User_files folder
Note:
If your project contains Imported Boundary Conditions in the Mechanical application,

you must include result/solution items so that the necessary upstream files are archived.
Failure to archive these files prevents you from importing data or accessing features
that involve reading upstream data, when the project is restored.
9. Click Archive.

On Windows systems, you can double-click .wbpz archive files from the directory they are saved in to
open the archive. If you open an archive file this way and then make changes to the project, when you
save the file you are prompted to either overwrite the archive, create a copy of the archive, or cancel
the save operation.
To save an archive file:
1. From the menu bar, select File → Save.
2. To overwrite the archive file:
a. In the dialog box, click Overwrite.
b. In the Archive Options dialog box, select the optional items to archive.
Note:
If your project contains Imported Boundary Conditions in the Mechanical applic-

ation, you must include result/solution items so that the necessary upstream files
are archived. Failure to archive these files prevents you from importing data or
accessing features that involve reading upstream data, when the project is re-
stored.
c. Click Archive.
After saving, you are returned to Workbench, working in the updated archive. Use Save As
to restore the project to a .wbpj file.
3. To save a copy of the archive file:
a. In the dialog box, click Save a Copy.
b. Browse to the location to save the file.
c. Type a name for the archive copy.
d. Click Save.
After saving, you are returned to Workbench, working in the new (copy) archive. The original
archive remains unchanged. Use Save As to restore the project to a .wbpj file.
Exporting Systems to a New Project

You can reuse systems from a previously created project file by exporting one or more of them to a
new project.
To create the new project:
1. If you have not saved your current project, from the menu bar, select File → Save.
2. Select all systems to be exported using one of the following methods:
• Click the header cell of a single system.
4. Select Export System(s) from the context menu.
5. If you did not save your project in step 1, the Unsaved Project dialog box is displayed:
a. Click Save and Proceed.
b. In the File name field, type a name for the current project.
c. Click Save.
6. In the Export As dialog box, type the name of the new export project into the File name field.
7. From the Save as type drop-down list, select .wbpj to save the export project as a new Workbench project,
or .wbpz to save the export project as an archive file.
8. Click Save.
9. If you are saving the export project as an archive file:
a. In the Archive Options dialog box, select the optional items to archive.
Note:
If your project contains Imported Boundary Conditions in the Mechanical applic-

ation, you must include result/solution items so that the necessary upstream files
are archived. Failure to archive these files prevents you from importing data or
accessing features that involve reading upstream data, when the project is re-
stored.
b. Click Archive.
The export project can be opened directly, or imported into another project (p. 37).

The Files pane shows a list of all files associated with the project. It enables you to see the name and
type of file, the IDs of the cells the file is associated with, the size of the file, the location of the file, and
other information.
Workbench File Types

The following file types are created by the various ANSYS applications and are shown in the Files
pane.
Database Files
ANSYS applications create the following types of database files:
• ANSYS Workbench project database file (.wbpj)
• Mechanical APDL (.db)
• Fluent (.cas, .dat, and .msh)
• CFX (.cfx, .def, .res, .mdef and .mres)
• DesignModeler (.agdb)
• CFX-Mesh (.cmdb)
• Mechanical (.mechdb)
• Meshing (.cmdb)
• Engineering Data (.eddb)
• Mesh Morpher (.rsx)
• ANSYS Autodyn (.ad)
• DesignXplorer (.dxdb)
• BladeGen (.bgd)
Workbench Journal and Log Files

Workbench writes journal and log files for each Workbench session. For more information on journal
and log file options, see Journals and Logs (p. 341).
Design Point Log Files

During a design point update, the parameter values of each successfully updated design point are
written to a CSV log file in the user_files directory. For more information, see Exporting Design
Point Parameter Values to a Comma-Separated Values File (p. 266).
Sorting and Filtering the Files List

Files added to the project appear in the Files list.
To sort and filter the files list:
1. To sort individual column data, click the arrow ( ) to the right of a column name and select from the
following options:
• To sort the column data in ascending order, select Ascending.
• To sort the column data in descending order, select Descending.
• To cancel the current sorting option, select Cancel sorting.
2. To sort multiple columns at the same time:
a. Click the arrow ( ) to the right of a column name and select Sort Settings.
b. From the Column drop-down list, select the name of the column to sort.
c. To sort the column in ascending order, leave the Ascending check box selected. To sort the column
in descending order, clear the check box.
d. Repeat the previous steps until you have created a list of all of the columns you need to sort.
To remove all of the columns from the list, click Remove All.
e. To save the changes, click OK.
3. To select the types of files that appear in the Files list:
a. Right-click any of the cells and select File Type Filter from the context menu.
b. From the Select to Display column, select or clear any check boxes to display or hide the indicated
file type.
c. To save the changes, click OK.
Repairing or Removing Deleted Files

Files missing or deleted from the project are shown in red text and are marked with a deleted icon.
You can either repair the missing files by adding them back into the project from another location,
or you can remove them from the Files list.
To repair or remove deleted files:
1. In the Files list, select a cell on the line containing the deleted file or press Ctrl and click on multiple
cells to select multiple files.
2. To repair the deleted files:
a. Right-click the selection and select Repair filename from the context menu.
b. Browse to the location where a copy of the files are stored.
c. Click Open.
The deleted files are copied into their original directory, and the name of the files are shown
in black text.
3. To remove the deleted files from the list, right-click the selection and select Remove filename from
List from the context menu.
Opening the Folder Containing Project Files

You can select a file from the Files list and open the operating system's file manager to the folder
containing that file. In most cases, you should not edit, add, or delete a file from the operating system
file manager. Workbench does not recognize or is aware of any changes that you make directly in
the file system (such as adding or removing a file). However, if used with caution, this pane can be
a useful way to edit files such as application input files (for example, the Mechanical APDL application
input files).
To open the folder containing project files, right-click a cell and select Open Containing Folder from
the context menu.
Copying Cell Text

You can copy the text from one or more of the Files list cells to paste into a different program, such
as Microsoft Excel.
To copy cell text:
1. In the Files list, select the cell you want to copy the text from or press Ctrl and click multiple cells to
select them.
2. Right-click the selection and select Copy from the context menu.
Recovering Projects
Workbench creates backup files of projects that are currently active and in progress. In the event of a
crash, Workbench can use these backup files to restore your project to the last saved event.
As with any computer program, it's important that you save your work frequently to minimize data loss
in the event of a crash. Do not move or otherwise alter the backup directory.
If a project save operation fails (for example, an application is busy and cannot execute the save), you
will be given the following options:
• Revert to the last saved project.
• Make a copy of the last saved project before continuing with the partially saved project. The project is copied
into a new location that you specify.
• Exit Workbench and decide later. Use this option if you want to handle the save failure manually. As a result,
the backup directory is not cleared so that you can manually recover files from that directory later.
Project Directories
• Continue with the partially saved project, discarding the last saved project (not recommended). This option
results in the backup directory being cleared. Use this option with caution, as it could result in corrupt project
files.
Note:
Recovering from a save failure occurs only when saving a previously saved file and not when
saving as a new file, or when saving the project for the first time.
Unlocking Project Files

Workbench implements a project locking mechanism in order to help prevent the project from being
loaded into more than one session at a time. When the project is opened, a .lock file is created in
the project files directory. The project is unlocked by deleting the .lock file.
An improperly unlocked project can occur in situations such as program crash where the .lock file is
not deleted, or if the project files directory is duplicated and the .lock file is copied with it.
If you open a locked project, you are asked how to proceed:
• If the file is locked because of an abnormal termination, such as a program crash, click Unlock.
• If the file is locked because the project is already open in another Workbench session, click Cancel.
Opening the same project in multiple sessions can result in corrupted project files.
Project Directories
The project directory structure includes the follow folders:
• dp0 Folder (p. 237)
• dpn Subdirectories (p. 238)
• user_files Folder (p. 238)
Important:
If you are resuming a project in Mechanical on the Linux platform, there is a restriction that
the path to the project, as well as the project name, include ASCII characters only, otherwise,
the project cannot open.
dp0 Folder
Workbench designates the active project as design point 0 and creates a dp0 folder that always
corresponds to the active project files. For more information on design points, see Working with
Design Points (p. 254).
Within the folder are system folders for each system in the project. Within each system folder are
folders for each application used in the system (for example, the Mechanical application, Fluent, and
so on). These folders contain application-specific files and folders, such as input files, model directories,
engineering data, and resources. System folders for each system type are named as follows.
System Type Folder name

Autodyn ATD
BladeGen BG
Design Exploration DX
Engineering Data ENGD
Fluid Flow (Fluent) FFF (analysis system), FLU (component system)
Fluid Flow PFL (Polyflow), PFL-BM (Blow Molding), PFL-EX (Extrusion)
(Polyflow)
Fluid Flow (CFX) CFX
Geometry Geom
Mesh SYS (top level) / MECH (subdirectory)
Mechanical SYS (top level) / MECH (subdirectory)
Mechanical APDL APDL
TurboGrid TS
Vista TF VTF
Icepak IPK
The Mechanical application and Mesh system folders are labeled SYS. Both the Mechanical application
and Mesh files are written to MECH subdirectories, because both are generated by Mechanical-based
applications.
In addition to the system folders, the dp0 folder also contains a global folder. This folder contains
subdirectories for all systems in the project. These subdirectories may be shared by more than one
system in the project and contain all database files, as well as any files that are associated directly
with the database files. For example, the Mechanical application writes figures, images, and contact
tool data to the appropriate system subdirectory under the global folder.
dpn Subdirectories
While a design point update is running, Workbench creates temporary design point folders. If the
Retain check box has been selected for a design point, its data is saved to a dpn subdirectory (where
dpn indicates the number of the design point) that is a sibling to the dpn folder and contains the
same sub-structure. For more information on retaining design point data, see Retaining Design Point
Data (p. 263).
user_files Folder
Under the project folder is a user_files folder. This folder contains any files (such as input files
and referenced files) that you supply to a project or any output (images, charts, movie clips, and so
on) generated by Workbench that you want to have associated with the project. In most cases, you
are responsible for placing required files into this folder. In other cases, such as the export of design
point update data from a design exploration system to a CSV log file, data is written directly to a file
created in this folder. For details, see Exporting Design Point Parameter Values to a Comma-Separated
Values File (p. 266).
Project Directories
Along with other project files, all of the files contained in the user_files folder appear in the Files
pane (p. 361) in Workbench.
Workbench also protects this folder and ensures that it is managed and archived appropriately with
the rest of the project; therefore, you can safely store additional files (such as PowerPoint or Excel
files, or other files from separate applications that are associated with this project) here without the
risk of losing data. If you save files in any other folder in the project structure and then exit without
saving, Workbench deletes any files saved there since the last Workbench save.
Example Project
A finished project that includes a Fluid Flow (Polyflow) system (FFF), a Mechanical application system
(MECH), and parameters (DesignXplorer) might look like this:
The corresponding directory structure would look like this:

Myworkbenchproject_files
dp0
FFF
DM
Fluent
MECH
Post
global
MECH
FFF
SYS
SYS
ENGD
MECH
dpall
global
DX
Understanding Project File Management

The project system may delete, back up, or restore files when:
• Deleting, duplicating, or replacing systems in the schematic
• Opening an application for a cell
• Closing a project without saving
• Archiving a project
• Switching to the next design point when updating all design points
While the project system is performing one of these operations, you cannot have project files open in
other applications (such as a text editor) or have the directories open in Windows Explorer. Doing so
may cause these file management operations to fail.
You cannot move a project or any of its associated files to another machine while a background run is
in progress. File information for the background run is, by necessity, machine-specific. You cannot
package or modify the background run while it is in progress.
Moving a project that has references to files outside of the project directory to a different machine or
location creates errors. By opening the project from a different machine or location, those file references
do not resolve, unless the file is still available under the same absolute path.
Copied images exist in only one location on disk that is referenced and do not exist as physical copies.
If you delete an image that has been copied, all pointers to the copies of that image will contain broken
links.
Working with Parameters and Design Points
In ANSYS applications you can define key simulation properties to be parameters. You can then manip-
ulate the parameters at the project level in Workbench to investigate design alternatives. A set of
parameter values representing one design alternative is called a design point. You can create a set of
design points in tabular form and run them automatically to perform a what-if study.
For the most part, you work with parameters and design points on the Parameters tab and the Para-
meter Set tab. However, you can also use parameters and design points in ANSYS DesignXplorer for
automated design exploration studies. DesignXplorer supports the insertion of the following Design
Exploration systems from the Workbench Toolbox into the Project Schematic:
• 3D ROM
Note:
For large parametric studies, you should use ANSYSDesign Point Service (DPS), which is part
of Distributed Compute Services. DPS provides for quickly and efficiently evaluating tens of
thousands of design points using multiple compute resources. For more information, see
the DCS for Design Points Guide.
Related topics:
Working with Parameters
Working with Design Points

A parameter is a numerical or other measurable factor that helps to define a particular system. A para-
meter is linked to a data model property within an application. You can have input and output para-
meters. Parameter values can be numeric or non-numeric (string or Boolean). Non-numeric parameters
are ignored for charting purposes. An input parameter can be modified at the project level and drives
a change within the data model. The value of an output parameter is set by the application, based on
the current results or state.
Input parameters define the geometry or inputs to the analysis for the system under investigation. Input
parameters have predefined values or ranges that may be changed. These include CAD parameters,
analysis parameters, and DesignModeler parameters. CAD and DesignModeler input parameters include
length and radius. Analysis input parameters include pressure, material properties, and sheet thickness.
Output parameters result from the geometry or are the response outputs from the analysis. These include
volume, mass, frequency, stress, velocities, pressures, forces, and heat flux.
Custom Parameters are project-level parameters that are not directly associated with a data model
property. They can be a custom input or custom output parameter that is defined by a constant value,
such as 12.5 [cm] or sin(pi/2). Or, they can be a derived parameter, defined by an expression
of other parameters, such as P2+3*P3. For more information, see Expressions, Functions, Quantities,
and Units (p. 242).
All parameters have a quantity, preferably with a quantity name. The quantity name is used to define
preferred and available units for the quantity. If the value does not have a quantity name defined,
Workbench displays the value without units.
You can add parameters to or delete them from the current project. However, this may set existing
design points and design exploration systems to an out-of-date state and can result in several hours of
recalculation time, depending on the project. Be aware that deleting a parameter referenced in the
expression of another parameter invalidates the driven data model, resulting in an error.
Note:
• Negative dimension values can invert the direction vector of SpaceClaim operations with which
they are associated. This change is applied to the current and subsequent design point updates.
As a result, when a Workbench input parameter is used as a driving dimension for a SpaceClaim
geometry, negative dimension values can result in unexpected geometric changes.
• When dimensional geometry parameters are imported into Workbench from SpaceClaim or a bi-
directional CAD interface, design point updates may fail when dependencies exist between the
parameters or when the parametric update in the CAD system or SpaceClaim cannot be realized
with the parameter values specified in Workbench.
Related topics:
Expressions, Functions, Quantities, and Units
Creating or Editing Parameters
Chaining an Output Parameter to an Input Parameter
Expressions, Functions, Quantities, and Units

The Workbench expression parser supports standard math functions and operators, as well as units
for quantities. Dimensional quantities are defined in units that are a combination of one or more
separate units.
Workbench expression and mathematical function evaluation is based on the Python 2.6 programming
language (www.python.org) and inherits some behavior as described here. All Python numeric and
function capabilities can be used. For example, Python provides support for hexadecimal (base 16)
numbers. Appending a zero and an x to the front of a number tells Python to treat the number as a
hexadecimal numeric literal.
Expressions
When entering expressions, you must use the list and decimal separators defined in your locale settings.
For example, if a comma is defined as a decimal separator and a semicolon defined as a list separator,
use these when you type in an expression.
The expression defined for a custom Boolean parameter can be the Python values True or False, or
it can be a Python logical expression such as P1 > P2 or P1 == 10 and P2 == 10. For a
parametrized Boolean parameter, you can select True/False from the drop-down in the Value column.
The expression defined for a custom string parameter must be quoted with single or double quotes,
such as ‘string value’ or “string value”.
Do not start expression definitions with an = operator. Given existing parameters P1, P2, and P3 to
define a derived parameter P4 such that P4=P1*P2*P3, type the expression P1*P2*P3 in the Value
field.
When you click away from the field, the expression is solved.
Functions
Expressions support the following intrinsic functions, which support both standard numeric values
and quantities as arguments.
abs(arg) cos(arg) int2(quantity, nint2(quantity, sinh(arg)

reference) reference)
acos(arg) cosh(arg) log(arg) pow(value, exponent) sqrt(arg)
asin(arg) exp(arg) loge(arg) round(arg) tan(arg)
atan(arg) fabs(arg) log10(arg) round2(quantity, tanh(arg)
reference)
atan2(arg1,arg2) floor(arg) max(arg list) sign(arg) PI, pi − constant
ceil(arg) floor2(quantity, min(arg list) sign2(quantity, E, e − constant
reference) reference)
ceil2(quantity, int(arg) nint(arg) sin(arg)
reference)
Rounding Functions
The following rounding functions are designed to perform with, and restricted for use with, dimen-
sionless quantity arguments for which the results are in the same unit system:
• ceil
• floor
• int
• nint
• round
• trunc
If these functions are used on quantities with units, an error message is displayed.
To perform rounding operations on quantities, use the following functions:
• ceil2
• floor2
• int2
• nint2
• round2
• trunc2
These functions support both numeric values and quantities. When used for quantities, the format is
func(quantity, reference). The quantity argument is converted to the unit of the reference
argument, then the resultant quantity value is rounded to the nearest reference value.
For example, to calculate a ceiling value rounded up to the nearest whole meter, enter
ceil2(quantity, 1[m]).
Sign Function
Like the rounding functions, the sign function is designed for dimensionless quantities and numbers.
To perform this operation on quantities, use the sign2 function.
The format is sign2(quantity, reference), but in this case the value of the reference argument
has no significance in the calculation, only the unit used for conversion matters.
For example, both sign2(3 [cm], 1 [in]) and sign2(3 [cm], 10 [in]) return 1, indic-
ating that the value of 3 cm converted into inches is a positive number.
Trigonometric Functions
The arguments for trigonometric functions are evaluated as follows:
• If the argument is a real number or integer, the argument is evaluated as radians.
• If the argument is a quantity (which has a value and units), the argument must be of type Angle. The
evaluation is based on the supplied units ([deg] or [rad]).
Quantities
Expressions that involve quantities must be dimensionally consistent. The + and − operators require
that the two operands have compatible units. For example, you cannot add an Area parameter to
a Length parameter. Both units must be Length or both units must be Area. The * and / operators
do not have this limitation. They allow one operand to be a quantity with a unit and the other operand
to be a dimensionless factor. Or, they allow both operands to be quantities with units where the
result is a different quantity type. For example, Length/Time results in a quantity with a Velocity
unit.
If the expression defining a custom parameter results in a quantity, Workbench infers its quantity
name from the value produced by the expression evaluation. Consequently, if the expression is a sum
of multiple terms, every term must be using the same quantity name. For example, if the resulting
quantity is 3.4[m^2], the new custom parameter must have its Quantity Name property set to
Area. In some cases, more than one quantity name may be valid for the expression. In these cases,
the Quantity Name property is not set, but you can select from a list for the Quantity Name property
in the Properties pane for the parameter. Once the quantity name is determined from the unit of
the value, it can be subsequently changed only by changing the Quantity Name property for the
parameter. For example, you cannot change the expression from Area to Volume without changing
the Quantity Name property.
Once the value quantity name (such as Area) is determined from the unit of the value, it can only
be subsequently changed by changing the Quantity Name property for the parameter. You cannot
change the expression (for example, from area to volume) without changing the Quantity Name
property. Automatic unit conversion is only done when the quantity name is known. If you want to
express a temperature difference, start with temperature in absolute units.
Units
You can include units, assuming that the unit makes sense in context of the expression. For example,
P2+3[mm]*P3 is valid if mm is a valid unit expression for P2 and P3. For example, mm is a valid unit
expression if P2 is torque and P3 is force, or if P2 is area and P3 is length.
The project unit system is used to evaluate the expressions. For temperatures, absolute temperature
values are used in expression evaluation. All quantity values in an expression are converted to the
project unit system.
The general units syntax in Workbench is defined as multiplier|unit|^power, where:
• multiplier is a multiplying quantity or its abbreviation, such as mega (M) or pico (p)
• unit is the unit string or abbreviation, such as gram (g), pound (lb), foot (ft), or meter (m)
• power is the power to which the unit is raised
The following tables are examples of multipliers and commonly used units
Table 6: Unit Multipliers
Multiplier Multiplier Multiplier

Name Value Abbreviation
exa 1018 E
15
peta 10 P
12
tera 10 T
9
giga 10 G
6
mega 10 M
3
kilo 10 k
2
hecto 10 h
1
deca 10 da
-1
deci 10 d
-2
centi 10 c
-3
milli 10 m
-6
micro 10 u
-9
nano 10 n
-12
pico 10 p
-15
femto 10 f
-18
atto 10 a
Table 7: Example Quantities and Units
Quantity Dimensionality Example Units

Acceleration Length Time^-2 m s^-2
ft s^-2
in s^-2

um ms^-2
Current Current A
mA
pA
Density Mass Length^-3 kg m^-3
g cm^-3
lb ft^-3
slug in^-3
slinch in^-3
Electric Charge Current Time As
coulomb
pA s
Energy Mass Length^2 Time^-2 J
BTU
erg
lbf ft
slug in^2 s^-2
Force Mass Length Time^-2 dyne
N
pdl
lbf
slug in s^-2
Length Length m
cm
foot
in
mm
micron
ft
um
yard
Pressure Mass Length^-1 Time^-2 Pa
MPa
N m^-2
bar
torr

mm Hg
psi
psf
atm
dyne cm^-2
Power Mass Length^2 Time^-3 W
BTU s^-1
HP
erg s^-1
lbf ft s^-1
Temperature Temperature K
C
R
F
Temperature Temperature K
Difference
C
R
F
Temperature Temperature^2 K^2
Variance
C^2
R^2
F^2
When typing units in an expression, you must enclose the units in square braces [...]. You generally
do not see the braces when selecting units from a list of commonly used units. In general, units de-
clarations must obey the following rules:
• A units string consists of one or more units quantities, each with an optional multiplier and optional power.
Each separate units quantity is separated by one or more spaces.
• Abbreviations for multipliers and unit names are typically used, but full names are also supported.
• Powers are denoted by the ^ (caret) symbol. A power of 1 is assumed if no power is given. A negative
power is typically used for unit division. For example, [kg m^-3] corresponds to kilograms per cubic
meter.
• If you enter units that are inconsistent with the physical quantity being described, then an expression
error occurs.
• Units do not have to be given in terms of the fundamental units, which are mass, length, time, temperature,
angle, and solid angle. For instance, Pa (Pascals) and J (Joules) are both acceptable as parts of unit strings.
• Units strings are case sensitive. For example, Kg and KG are invalid units strings; kg is correct.
Caution:
When the specified project unit system uses the relative temperature units (C or F), the
evaluation of expressions involving temperature, temperature differences, or temperature
variances is a special case.
For the unit conversion of a specific temperature value, 1 degC = 274.15 K. However,
the unit conversion for a temperature interval (delta T) is 1 degC = 1 K. The expression
evaluator takes any temperature value and treats it as a specific temperature (not a tem-
perature interval) by converting it to the absolute unit of the project unit system (either
K or R). If the intent is to perform the evaluation in terms of temperature intervals, you
need to start with temperatures in absolute units.
Similarly, any expressions to be evaluated in terms of temperatures or temperature differ-

ences are converted to absolute units for calculation. In an expression with a temperature
unit raised to a power other than 1 or a unit involving both temperatures and other units
(for example a temperature gradient [C/m]), the temperature is assumed to be a temperature
difference.
Table 8: Scenarios in which temperature-related units are converted before and during expression
evaluation
Scenario Example
Temperature unit conversion 10[C] * 2 = 566.3[K] = 293.15[C]
Temperatures appearing as part of a mixed unit are 10[C/m] * 50 [m] = 500[K]
converted as temperature intervals
Temperatures raised to a power other than 1 are 10[C^3] * 10[C] = 2831.5[K^4]
converted as temperature intervals
Sound Pressure Level and A Weighted Sound Pressure Level are dimensionless quantities with units
dB and dBA, respectively.
• Math operations between these two units or either of these and a numerical value will result in a
value with no unit. For example, 10 db x 10 = 100. (no unit)
• Math operations between either of these units and a dimensional unit will result in a value with the
dimensional unit. For example, 10 db x 10 m = 100 m.
Creating or Editing Parameters

The process of working with parameters begins when you define a parameter in an application, such
as your CAD system, Mechanical, or Fluent. For information on defining parameters, refer to the
documentation for each application in which you are working.
Workbench recognizes parameters defined in the individual applications and exposes them in the
Parameter Set bar, which can be shared by multiple systems. The Parameter Set bar is the visual
representation of the project's full parameter set. Double-clicking it opens the Parameter Set tab,
which displays all parameters defined for all systems in your project. Each parameter is identified by
its system of origin.
Additionally, each system with parameters has a Parameters cell, which you can double-click to open
the corresponding Parameters tab. The Parameters tab for a given system displays all of the para-
meters defined for this system.
Each of these tabs has an Outline pane and a Properties pane for viewing and working with your
parameters.
The Outline pane lists the parameters, grouping them into Input Parameters and Output Parameters.
Input parameters affect the definition of the data model. Output parameters are analysis results that
are quantities of interest for the design.
Note:
On a Parameters tab, the title in the header for the Outline pane displays the ID of the
corresponding Parameters cell to indicate the source of the parameters. On the Parameter
Set tab, the title is Outline of All Parameters.
For each parameter, the Outline pane shows an ID, name, current value, and unit system. You can
edit most of these properties. The exceptions are the parameter IDs and the units for parameters with
quantity values. When you select a parameter, its properties are shown in the Properties pane.
The Properties pane displays information for the object selected in the Outline pane. The objects
available for selection include parameters, expressions, and charts.
To create or edit parameters:
1. To view the parameters, double-click the Parameters cell of a system or the Parameter Set bar.
2. To add a new custom input parameter:
a. In the Outline pane, to the right of New input parameter, click the New name cell and type a
name for the parameter.
b. Click the New expression cell and type either a constant value or expression for the parameter.
3. To add a new custom output parameter, in the Outline pane, to the right of New input parameter,
click the New expression cell and type either a constant value or expression for the parameter.
4. To edit the name of a parameter, in the Outline pane, click the Parameter Name cell and type the new
name.
5. To delete custom parameters:
a. In the Outline pane, click the ID cell for a parameter to select it, or press Ctrl and click the ID cell
of multiple parameters to delete.
b. Right-click the selection and select Delete Selected Unlinked Parameters from the context menu.
6. To show the properties for a parameter, click the ID cell for that parameter.
7. To add or edit an expression, in the Properties pane, click the Expression Value cell and type the new
expression.
8. For an expression, once the quantity name (such as area) is determined from the unit of the value, it
can only be changed by changing the Quantity Name property for the parameter. In the Properties
pane, from the Quantity Name drop-down list, select a new value.
9. To add or edit the parameter description, in the Properties pane, click the Description Value cell and
type the new description.
10. Once you have finished adding and editing parameters, update the project, system, or Parameters
cell (p. 203) to register the changes and return the values of the output parameters. Note that an update
operation can be lengthy, depending on the analysis details.
Chaining an Output Parameter to an Input Parameter

You can chain an output parameter to an input parameter to allow an input to be driven directly
from the current value of an output, provided that the chaining does not create a circular dependency.
To chain an output parameter to an input parameter:
1. To view the parameters, double-click the Parameters cell of a system or the Parameter Set bar.
2. In the Outline pane, to the right of New input parameter, click the New name cell and type a name
for the parameter.
3. Click the New expression cell and type either a constant value or expression for the parameter.
4. Update the project, system, or Parameters cell (p. 203) to register the changes and return the values of
the output parameter. Note that an update operation can be lengthy, depending on the analysis details.

Each design point is a single set of parameter values representing one design alternative. Basically, you
can think of a design point as a snapshot of your design given a set of input parameter values, where
output parameter values are calculated by an update of the project. Design points allow you to perform
what-if studies and can be created in the Parameter Set bar or generated with ANSYS DesignXplorer.
You manage design points in the Table pane for the Parameter Set tab or on a Parameter tab. The
Table pane displays the design points.
From the Table pane, you can see existing design points and perform the following operations:
• Add new design points
• Duplicate existing design points
• Enter or change the input parameter values for design points
• Delete existing design points except for the current one
• Specify the design point update order
• Update design points, either locally or through ANSYS Remote Solve Manager
• Retain design point data within the project for design points other than the current, which by default has
retained data
• Preview the image from the project report (p. 225), assuming that the project has design points, is solved,
and a saved project report exists
• Set a design point with retained data as the current design point
• Export selected design points to separate projects
• Export a CSV file of the design points table
The design point that you interact with on the Project Schematic is always the current design point.
Initially, the current design point is DP 0. However, you can set any design point that has retained results
to be the current design point. You cannot rename or delete the current design point.
If you add a new design point, change its input parameter values, and update the project, you calculate
output parameter values for this new design point. You can then perform what-if studies to compare
this design to other designs.
Related topics:
Multiple Design Points Workflow
Adding a New Design Point by Duplicating an Existing Design Point
Adding a New Design Point by Entering Values
Updating Design Points
Retaining Design Point Data
Reviewing the Retained Data Column
Retaining Parameter Data for Solved Design Points with DesignXplorer
Setting a Different Design Point as Current
Copying Input Parameter Values to the Current Design Point
Exporting Design Points to New Projects
Exporting Design Point Parameter Values to a Comma-Separated Values File
Performing and Retaining Partial (Geometry-Only) Updates
Reserving Licenses for a Design Point Update
Design Point States
Multiple Design Points Workflow

Workbench allows you to create multiple design points and generate comparison studies (what-if
studies) of input and output parameters.
To analyze your simulation across several design points:
1. In ANSYS applications, generate input parameters for the current project (and, if appropriate, specify
output parameters to be created).
A Parameters cell is added to the relevant systems and a Parameter Set bar is added to the
project. The current project is designated as design point 0, or DP 0.
2. Create or edit the input parameters (p. 249).
3. Create multiple design points by duplicating an existing design point or by entering values.
4. Set whether you want to retain the files generated during the design point update for further analysis.
Workbench saves the data for the current design point, any retained design points, and the values
of the output parameters computed for each design point.
5. Update the design points.
Adding a New Design Point by Duplicating an Existing Design Point

When you duplicate a design point, all parameters, parameter values, design point states, and design
point export settings are copied. You can then modify any of these values as required.
To duplicate an existing design point:
1. To open the Table pane, double-click the Parameters cell of a system or the Parameter Set Bar.
2. Right-click a design point in the Table pane and select Duplicate from the context menu.
Adding a New Design Point by Entering Values

You can add a new design point by entering parametric values in the Table pane.
To enter values:
1. To open the Table pane, double-click the Parameters cell of a system or the Parameter Set bar.
2. In the bottom row of the table, below the existing design points, type a parametric value in one or more
of the cells.
Updating Design Points

Output parameter values for a design point are calculated when you update the design point. You
can update only the current design point, a set of selected design points, or all design points. Updating
design points updates solution data only where output parameters have been defined.
You have several options for updating design points. The settings specified by the Design Point
Initiation property apply. For more information, see Specifying the Initialization Conditions for a
Design Point Update (p. 262).
When you update multiple design points, you can choose the order in which design points update.
You can also choose the initial conditions with which they update.
You may want to specify the order for design point updates to improve efficiency. For instance, if
several design points use the same geometry parameter values, it is more efficient to process them
together so as to update the geometry only once.
By default, when each design point is updated, the design point is initialized with the data of the
design point designated as current. Retained design points with valid retained data are exceptions
because they do not require initialization data. In some cases, it may be more efficient to update each
design point starting from the data of the previously updated design point, rather than restarting
from current design point each time.
To update design points in Remote Solve Manager (RSM), see Updating Design Points in Remote
Solve Manager (p. 303).
Non-parametric changes made to a project with up-to-date design points may cause all existing
design points to go out-of-date, if the change is related to the parametric study being performed.
Any change not relevant to the parametric study, such as adding a standalone system or making a
change downstream of the study, should not cause design points to go out-of-date. For changes that
invalidate the design points table, you must update the project, which can require significant time
and computing resources. You should always save your project after updating all design points and
before further modifying the project.
In most cases, a design point update applies only to cells affected by parameter changes and to cells
downstream. Cells without associated parameters or cells whose associated parameters did not change
are not updated.
Related topics:
Setting the Design Point Update Option
Updating Only the Current Design Point
Updating Selected Design Points
Update All Design Points
Fixing an Interrupted Design Point Update
Changing the Design Point Update Order
Specifying the Initialization Conditions for a Design Point Update
Setting Systems using CFD-Post to Update with Design Points
Setting AIM Result tasks to Update with Design Points
Setting the Design Point Update Option

Before updating design points, you must set the location where the updates are processed.
To set the design point update option:
1. On the Project Schematic, right-click the Parameter Set bar and select Properties from the context
menu.
2. In the Properties pane, from the Update Option drop-down list, select from the following options:
• Run in Foreground: Runs the design point update within the current Workbench session. This
option is appropriate for quick-running updates that fit within the resources of your workstation.
This option is also the most robust as it is not possible to make changes that impact the design
points. When a design point update is executing in the foreground, you cannot change or save
the project, but you can interrupt or stop the update.
• Submit to Remote Solve Manager: Runs the design point update in the background by submitting
it to RSM. Use this option for long-running updates that do not fit within your workstation's re-
sources. When you submit an update, RSM can send it to a remote compute cluster or to a Cloud
portal. RSM can also submit jobs to the local machine to allow the queuing of updates on your
workstation.
For more information on submitting design point updates to RSM, see Updating Design
Points in Remote Solve Manager (p. 303).
• Submit to Design Point Service (DPS): Runs the design point update in the background by sub-
mitting it to DPS. Use this option to quickly and efficiently evaluate large numbers of design points
simultaneously using multiple compute resources, including ad-hock networks, Amazon web ser-
vices, and Remote Solve Manager.
For more information on submitting design point updates to DPS, see Workbench Project
Setup in the DCS for Design Points Guide.
Updating Only the Current Design Point

To update just the current design point, update the project (p. 204).
Updating Selected Design Points

You can choose a set of design points from the table to update.
To update selected design points:
2. Press Ctrl and click each design point in the table to update.
3. Right-click the selection and select Update Selected Design Points from the context menu.
If the update for one of the design points fails, the Update Failed, Update Required ( ) icon is
displayed for the failed design point, but the next design point update begins immediately. The
Messages pane opens, showing the error message for the one or more design points that failed.
When the update process is complete, a failure summary dialog box opens. Review the error mes-
sages for details on which design points failed to update.
Update All Design Points

You can update all design points in the table.
To update all design points:
2. To update the design points:
• From the menu bar select Tools → Update All Design Points.
• On the Project tab toolbar click Update All Design Points.
• Right-click the white space on the Project Schematic and select Update All Design Points from
the context menu.
If the update for one of the design points fails, the Update Failed, Update Required ( ) icon is
displayed for the failed design point, but the next design point update begins immediately. The
Messages pane opens, showing the error message for the one or more design points that failed.
When the update process is complete, a failure summary dialog box opens. Review the error mes-
sages for details on which design points failed to update.
Fixing an Interrupted Design Point Update

If the update of a design point is interrupted, the partially updated icon ( ) is displayed beside
the values of the output parameters for the interrupted component. The next time that this design
point is selected for update, a dialog box opens.
To continue, select from the following options:
• Use Partially Updated: Accepts output parameters that are only partially updated as up-to-date, using
the existing results to update design points.
• Update All: Restarts the interrupted update, recalculating results for all output parameters that are
partially updated and then updating all design points. The dialog box notes that this can be a lengthy
process.
Changing the Design Point Update Order

By default, design points are updated in the order in which they appear in the design points table.
The Update Order column shows the order number for each design point. To view the column,
right-click in the table and select Show Update Order from the context menu.
To change the order that design points are updated in, select from the following options:
• Right-click the table and select Optimize Update Order from the context menu.
An optimal update order is determined by an analysis of parameter dependencies in the project

and a scan of parameter values across all design points. The Update Order value for each design
point is updated automatically.
Note:
The primary goal of Optimize Update Order is to reduce the number of geometry
and mesh system updates. In general, the optimized order is driven by the order of
the update tasks, which means that the components are updated depending on their
order in the system, their data dependencies, their parameter dependencies, and the
state of the parameters. This works best in a horizontal schematic with geometry as
the first separate system. In a single vertically-integrated system project, the parameters
defined in the upper components are considered the most important. In some cases,
because of the order of parameter creation or the presence of engineering data
parameters, you may find that the first columns are not geometry parameters. In this
case, we recommend that you use the Optimize Update Order option to sort by
geometry parameters.
• Edit the values in the Update Order column.
• Sort the table by one or several columns and then right-click in the table and select Set Update Order
by Row.
The Update Order value for each design point is regenerated to match the sorting of the table.
Specifying the Initialization Conditions for a Design Point Update

When a design point is updated, the solver is initialized with data. Design points with valid retained
data use that as their initialization data. Other design points either:
• Initialize with the data of the design point designated as current (From Current)
• Initialize starting from the data of the previously updated design point (From Previous Updated).
Using the From Previous Updated initialization value works best when:
• Sequential design points share the same geometry. For example, if DP 2 has the same geometry as DP
1, but both of these differ from DP 0, changing the default behavior saves the computational cost of
updating both the geometry and the mesh for DP 2.
• You have modified the design point update order in the Update Order column, either by editing the
values manually or by generating them with the Set Update Order by Row option.
• The design point update order has been optimized, either by the Optimize Update Order option or
by a DesignXplorer optimization.
To set how design points are initialized:
menu.
2. From the Design Point Initiation drop-down list, select the required initialization value.
Setting Systems using CFD-Post to Update with Design Points

For systems using CFD-Post results, you can specify that the results cell is always updated with a
design point update operation, even when the update does not affect parameter values.
To set systems using CFD-Post to update with design points:
1. On the Project Schematic, right-click a CFD-Post Results cell and select Properties from the context
menu.
2. In the Properties pane, select the Always Include in Design Points Update check box.
Setting AIM Result tasks to Update with Design Points

In AIM, results tasks that are not associated with output parameters are not updated and have a
state of Update Required when the design point update is complete.
To ensure all results tasks are updated with a design point update:
menu.
2. In the Properties pane, from the Retained Design Point drop-down list, select Update Full Project.
Retaining Design Point Data

By default, Workbench does not retain design points after they are solved. It saves the calculated
data only for the current design point. For other design points, only the parameter values are saved.
In some cases, you might want to switch back and forth between multiple designs within the same
project. To do this, select one or more design points and retain their calculated data within the project.
To retain design points data:
2. For each design point you want to retain data for, select the Retained check box.
3. To generate retained design point data, update the design points (p. 257).
Once design point data has been retained:
• You can verify that the data has been retained and see the availability and state of the retained data. For
more information, see Reviewing the Retained Data Column (p. 263).
• You can view multiple designs by setting different design points as current. For more information, see
Setting a Different Design Point as Current (p. 265).
Reviewing the Retained Data Column

You can verify that data has been retained by viewing the icon in the Retained Data column for
each design point. This icon indicates the availability, validity, and state of the retained data for the
design point.
Different kinds of changes to the project have different impacts on retained data. Changes to the
parameter values for the design point cause the retained data to become out-of-date but still valid.
Non-parametric changes cause the retained data for non-active design points to become invalid.
Note:
During a local design point update, only the design point being updated is active. When
no update is in progress, only the current design point is active.
The state of the design point and the validity of its retained data do not necessarily match. It is possible
for a design point to be up-to-date while its retained data is invalid or vice versa.
When used in the Retained Data column, icons have slightly different meanings than they do else-
where in Workbench. The following table describes the meaning of each icon within the context of
retained design point data.
Icon State/Validity Description

Valid and up-to-date The design point has valid retained data that is up-to-date.
The retained data is available to be exported.
Valid but out-of-date The design point has valid retained data, but the retained
data is out-of-date because of a change to the design
Icon State/Validity Description

point's parameter values. The retained data is available to
be exported.
Invalid or The design point either does not have retained data or
non-existing previously retained data has been invalidated by a
non-parametric change. The retained data is not available
to be exported.
Each state is illustrated in the image below, as follows:
• DP 0 (Current) has retained data that is valid and up-to-date. The current design point always has
valid retained data and the Retain check box is disabled.
• DP 1 has valid retained data that is current and up-to-date.
• DP 2 either does not have retained data or has retained data that is invalid.
• DP 3 has retained data that is valid but out-of-date.
Retaining Parameter Data for Solved Design Points with DesignXplorer

When design points are updated, DesignXplorer provides the following methods of retaining para-
meter data for solved design points:
• It saves design point data to the design point cache. DesignXplorer reuses data from the cache when
you preview or update a Design Exploration system. For more information, see Cache of Design
Point Results in the DesignXplorer User's Guide.
• It exports design point data into design point log files. You can import the log file back into
DesignXplorer as needed. For more information, see Design Point Log Files in the .
• It allows you to export all design point values to an ASCII file. This functionality is available for
DesignXplorer charts or tables containing design point data, including the design points table. You
can then use the parameter values in the file with other programs for further processing or import
into DesignXplorer.
Note:
Both the design point log files and the ASCII file are formatted in the extended CSV
file format. For details, see Exporting Design Point Parameter Values to a Comma-
Separated Values File (p. 266).
Setting a Different Design Point as Current

Once multiple design points have retained data, you can switch back and forth between these multiple
designs within the project. To view the design associated with a given design point, you set it as the
current design point. Only design points with retained data can be set to current, and only one design
point can be set to current at a time.
To set a design point as the current design point:
2. In the Table pane, right-click a design point that has retained data (p. 263) and select Set as Current
The design point becomes the current design point for the project. In the Name column, (Current)
displays after the name of the current design point. Setting a design point as current does not auto-
matically update it.
Note:
In a project that includes a Microsoft Office Excel system and uses retained design points,
switching to a different up-to-date design point automatically updates the Excel system.
This can be time-consuming if the spreadsheet contains macros or extensive calculations.
Copying Input Parameter Values to the Current Design Point

An alternate method to switching design points is to copy a different design point's input values to
the current design point. Copying the input values does not automatically update the design points.
To copy input parameter values to the current design point:
2. In the Table pane, right-click a design point and select Copy inputs to Current from the context menu.
Exporting Design Points to New Projects

To work with the calculated data for a design point other than the current design point, you can export
the design point to a separate project. A new project is created for each design point that is exported.
When you export a design point, if the design point has already been exported, the existing exported
files are overwritten.
Note:
DesignXplorer data is not a part of design points and is not exported. DesignXplorer is a
consumer of design points but does not define design points. Consequently, it is not in-
volved when a design point is updated, or by extension, exported.
To export design points:
2. In the Table pane, select the design points.
3. Right-click the selection and select Export Selected Design Points from the context menu.
The data of each design point is saved to a new project, named filename_dpn (where dpn indicates
the number of the exported design point), with a project file named filename_dpn.wbpj. Working
files are saved to a filename_dpn_files directory that is a sibling to the original file-
name_files project folder.
The content of the new project depends on the state of the design point's retained data at the time
of the export:
• If valid retained data is available for an exported design point, the retained data is used to create the
new project. This retained data can be either up-to-date or out-of-date.
• If no valid retained data is available for an exported design point, the project exported is an out-of-
date project based on the current design point with the parameter values for this design point applied.
No valid retained data exists if the design point is either not selected to retain data or is selected but
retained data is not yet generated or has become invalid. You are asked to confirm before the export
of such a design point is performed. When you open the exported project, it is out-of-date and requires
an update to solve for the exported design point.
After an export, you must save the parent project before you can export design points again.
If a design point fails to export, the files for this design point remain in the project_files\dpn
directory until you delete them manually or attempt to update the design point again.
Exporting Design Point Parameter Values to a Comma-Separated Values

File
From the design points table, you can export the design point parameter values to a Comma-Separated
Values (CSV) file, which you can then use with other software tools for further processing. This file is
created in an extended file format. In addition to supporting standard CSV formatting, it supports
several Workbench-specific formatting conventions. The values are always exported in units as defined
in Workbench.
The file format includes the following components:
• Values are separated by commas.
• The optional header line indicates the name of each column.
• Each line is an independent record made of fields separated by commas.
• The format is not dependent on the locale, which means that the real number 12 and 345 one-thousandths
is always written as 12.345, regardless of the regional settings of the computer.
• If a line starts with the character #, it is considered a comment line rather than a header or data line and
is ignored.
• The header line is mandatory. It is the line where each parameter is identified by its ID (P1, P2, ..., Pn) to
describe each column. The IDs of the parameters in header line match the IDs of the parameters in the
project.
• The first column is used to indicate a name for each row.
• A file can contain several blocks of data, with the beginning of each block being determined by a new
header line.
To export design point parameter values to a CSV file:
2. In the Table pane, right-click a cell and select Export Table Data as CSV from the context menu.
A file similar to the following is generated:

#
# 10/1/2012 10:38:01 AM
# The parameters defined in the project are:
# P1 - WB_B [mm], P2 - WB_D [mm], P3 - WB_L [mm], P4 - WB_P [N], P5 - WB_E [MPa],
# P10 - WB_SIG [MPa], P8 - WB_DIS [mm], P9 - WB_BUCK [N]
#
# The following header line defines the name of the columns by reference to the parameters.
Name, P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P10, P8, P9
DP 0, 2, 5, 100, 1000, 200000, 12000, 80, 1028.91145833333
DP 1, 3, 5, 150, 1000, 200000, , ,
DP 2, 5, 5, 20, 1000, 200000, , ,
Performing and Retaining Partial (Geometry-Only) Updates

To check your geometry for parametric failures, you can perform a geometry-only design point update.
When the partial results have been calculated, you can save them to the project to be used in sub-
sequent design point updates. You might do this if you want to generate the geometry updates on
one machine and then move the project to a machine that cannot update geometry.
To perform a geometry-only update:
menu.
If the Properties pane is already visible, click the Parameter Set bar to refresh the Properties
pane with the design point settings.
2. In the Properties pane, from the Update Option drop-down list, select Run in Foreground.
3. From the Partial Update drop-down list, select Geometry.
4. To retain the results from the partial update, from the Retain Partial Update drop-down list, select
Geometry.
Note:
This setting causes the geometry results to be saved whether you perform a partial update
or a full update.
Partial update data can exist from either a partial or full design point update. To remove existing
partial update data, set Retain Partial Update to None. The partial retained data is deleted from the
project the next time that design points are updated.
Reserving Licenses for a Design Point Update

To ensure that you have sufficient licenses available for the duration of your design point study, you
can reserve the licenses that are required for design point updates.
To reserve licenses for a design point update:
1. Set up your design point study as you normally would.
menu.
3. In the Properties pane, from the License Checkout drop-down list, select Reserved.
4. Click Select Licenses.
5. In the Select Licenses dialog box:
a. From the Available Licenses list, select one or more licenses to reserve.
You can select multiple licenses at one time by holding down the CTRL key as you click
each license.
To filter the Available Licenses list, select a category from the Filter drop-down list.
b. Click Add.
The licenses you have selected appear in the Reserved Licenses panel.
When using an ANSYS HPC Parametric Pack license with either ANSYS HPC or ANSYS HPC
Pack licenses, the number of licenses shown in the Concurrent Licenses column indicates
the total number of HPC task available for the simultaneous design point update. For example,
an HPC Parametric pack license used with eight HPC licenses shows 32 HPC tasks available
because a single HPC Parametric Pack license enables four simultaneous design points, each
of which can use up to eight HPC tasks. See Using HPC Parametric Pack Licenses (p. 270).
c. To see which licenses were used for this study in previous updates, switch Used Licenses tab.
See Tracking Licenses (p. 270). You can add licenses to the reserve from this list as well.
d. To reserve more than one license of a given type, click the license in the Reserved Licenses list
and either click Add multiple times, or type in the number of licenses in the Change Number Se-
lected field.
e. When you have selected all of the licenses to reserve, click OK.
The selected licenses are not checked out at this time. License checkout occurs only when
you begin the update.
6. If you are submitting the design point update to Remote Solve Manager (RSM):
a. To check out reserved licenses at the start of the first design point update job launched, select the
Run-time Checkout of Reserved Licenses check box.
If the reserved license checkout fails for any reason, an error is reported in the RSM log.
b. To check for reserved license availability as soon as possible, so that you know licences are available
before you load data and attempt to update, clear the Run-time Checkout of Reserved Licenses
check box.
c. To specify that reserved licenses should not be used during a pre-RSM update, select the Exclude
Pre-RSM update from reserved licensing check box.
7. Update your design points, either directly, or as a result of updating Design Exploration systems and
components.
The selected licenses are checked out and held for the duration of the update.
If you have updated design points remotely using a queuing system for RSM, information on the
reserved licenses is available to the job scripts in the ANSYS_RESERVED_LICENSE_INFO environment
variable.
Restrictions
• You see only those licenses that are available on license server machines that are in your license server
path specification. You cannot see or reserve licenses from other license servers.
• All machines used in your design point study must use the same license server.
• If the license server that you are using is part of a triad and the triad's master server goes down, subsequent
license checkouts behave as standard checkouts, rather than checking out licenses from the reserve pool.
• You do not need to reserve licenses for DesignXplorer components because DesignXplorer does not check
licenses out of the reserve pool. However, if some licenses are reserved for design point updates, any
update of a DesignXplorer component will require an extra license. This license can come from a bundle.
• If design points are being updated on remote resources using ANSYS Remote Solve Manager (RSM), the
execution nodes must be accessing the same license server as the source project.
• Do not use the ANSWAIT environment variable when reserving licenses.
• Reserved licensing can be disabled by your corporate license administrator. You are warned when you
try to use this feature if it has been disabled.
Special Cases
You might need to reserve a Geometry license even when the Geometry cell is not parametrized
and is up-to-date, if either of the following situations is true:
• If the project contains CAD geometry or any other geometry that is not managed by the Geometry cell
but rather by a downstream Model or Mesh cell, and the geometry is parametrized via the Model or
Mesh cell.
• If an Engineering Data cell is parametrized and shares a model or mesh downstream with a non-paramet-
rized Geometry cell.
If you are using reserved Mechanical APDL licenses with RSM on Linux machines and you have the
ANSYS201_PRODUCT environment variable set in a global login startup script that is used by all
users on a machine, you may see update failures caused by license checkout errors. You should remove
the ANSYS201_PRODUCT environment variable from any global login startup scripts. If the AN-
SYS201_PRODUCT environment variable is set in a user's local startup script, or is set manually at
runtime or using the launcher, the reserved licenses run correctly.
Tracking Licenses
Workbench tracks licenses that are used during an update. You can see what licenses were used
for any cell by viewing that cell's properties. The Last Update Used Licenses property displays
which licenses were used. You may find it useful to run the update of at least one design point as
you normally would and then review the licenses that were used so that you know which licenses
need to be reserved for a future study. License usage is tracked only for an update operation in a
component where reserved licensing functionality is applied. It is not tracked if a cell becomes up-
to-date as the result of an edit operation.
Note:
License usage is not tracked for DesignXplorer components. DesignXplorer uses reserved
licenses indirectly by initiating design point updates.
License tracking may not return the information in some cases, for example if a cell was open for
viewing or editing at the time of the update. In this case, Not Applicable is shown for Last Update
Used Licenses, even though a license is used. To ensure that tracking captures information for all
components, close all cells before updating.
Note:
License tracking can be turned off by your corporate license administrator. If you run a
study and do not see which licenses were used, contact your license administrator.
Returning Reserved Licenses

If you are running a design point study and are using reserved licenses, you may need to free licenses
if one or more design point runs hang or do not complete successfully. For example, you might
delete a project that contains pending updates using reserved licenses. This situation should rarely
occur. Typically, licenses are released if a design point fails.
To free a reserved license:
1. From the menu bar, select Tools → Release Reserved Licenses.
2. Select the projects to release licenses for and click Release Selected.
Any free or hung licenses in the reserve are removed. If any of the reserved licenses are still
in use, those running jobs continue to completion or until they attempt to check out further
licenses. The design point study fails if it attempts to update further design points because
the reserves have been removed.
Using HPC Parametric Pack Licenses

ANSYS offers additional license options called HPC Parametric Packs for Workbench jobs requiring
multiple design point updates. HPC Parametric Packs enable you to simultaneously update multiple
design points of a single design study while using only a single license of each required base license.
HPC Parametric Pack licenses can be used for design point updates initiated from DesignXplorer.
To use HPC Parametric Pack licenses, you must use the Workbench reserved licensing feature.
HPC Parametric Packs enable a specific number of simultaneous design points:
• 1 HPC Parametric Pack: 4 simultaneous design points
• 2 HPC Parametric Packs: 8 simultaneous design points
You can use a maximum of five HPC Parametric Pack licenses per design study.
If you reserve more than one license of an individual licensed product, the HPC Parametric Pack li-
cense multiplies only one of the licenses (allowing four simultaneous design points when used with
one HPC Parametric Pack). If you have multiple licenses specified in the Reserved Licenses list
when you add an HPC Parametric Pack license, the number of licenses is reduced to one.
HPC Parametric Packs also work in conjunction with ANSYS HPC and ANSYS HPC Pack licenses. Use
the HPC licenses to enable multiple parallel processes to be used for each design point.
For example, if you specify that you want to run the ANSYS Mechanical solver for the design point
study using eight parallel processes for each design point, you must reserve the necessary HPC li-
censes to enable eight parallel processes (one HPC Pack or six processes of ANSYS HPC). The HPC
Parametric Pack license allows all design points to run using eight-way parallel processing. If n
design points are updated simultaneously, this scenario uses nx8 cores, while consuming only one
HPC Pack or six processes of ANSYS HPC, as well as the license that enables the Mechanical solver.
If a design point update involves more than one solver, the parallel licenses that you reserve are
available for use with both solvers running sequentially. For example, if you define a design point
study that uses both an ANSYS Mechanical and an ANSYS Fluent license, and you specify that you
want to use 8 parallel processes for Mechanical and 32 processes for Fluent, you must reserve suf-
ficient HPC licenses to enable 32 parallel processes (two HPC Packs or 32 processes of ANSYS HPC).
The HPC Parametric Pack license then allows all design points to run using up to 32–way parallel
with both solvers involved in the design point study. If you update n points simultaneously, this
scenario uses nx8 cores for ANSYS Mechanical and nx32 cores for ANSYS Fluent, while consuming
only 2 HPC Packs (or 32 ANSYS HPC processes).
See HPC Parametric Pack Licensing in the ANSYS, Inc. Licensing Guide for additional details about
using HPC Parametric Packs.
Design Point States

On the Parameters Set tab and any Parameters tab, the Outline and Table panes display icons on
output parameters to indicate their states.
• An output parameter that is up-to-date displays no icon. Only the value of the output parameter is shown.
• An output parameter that is out-of-date displays the Update Required icon ( ). Either the output para-
meter has not been solved or requires an update because local data has changed.
• An output parameter that has failed to update displays the Update Failed, Update Required icon ( ).
• An output parameter that has partially updated values because of an interruption to either a project update
or a design point update displays the Partially Updated icon ( ).
During cell, system, project, and both local and remote design point updates, the Outline and Table
panes update the states of the output parameters.
Changes elsewhere in the project could cause the state of some, but not all, output parameters to
go out-of-date and require update. In those cases, only those output parameters affected by the
changes are shown as requiring an update. Output parameters that are not affected by the changes
remain up-to-date.
Changes to derived parameters or associated expressions are recalculated immediately rather than
requiring an update. If you add or change derived parameters, other parameters are not affected by
this change and so do not require an update.
Design points that are being updated using RSM display the Pending icon ( ) in the design points
table while the remote design point update is in progress. When each updated design point is retrieved,
associated output parameters reflect the results of the update.
Working with ANSYS Remote Solve Manager
ANSYS Remote Solve Manager (RSM) provides the central framework for job submission to an established
cluster or third-party Cloud. This enables you to access powerful compute resources when needed.
To enable job submission to a cluster or Cloud portal, an administrator must create configurations in
RSM. An RSM configuration contains information about the HPC resource where jobs are submitted
(such as the name of the cluster submit host, or URL of the web portal), file transfer methods, and the
queues that are available for job submission. (See RSM Configuration in the Remote Solve Manager User's
Guide.)
RSM configurations enable RSM to integrate with the following types of HPC resources:
• Commercial clusters. Includes Microsoft HPC, LSF, PBS Pro, UGE (SGE), TORQUE with Moab, and custom
clusters.
• ANSYS Cluster (ARC). An ARC operates in the same way that a commercial cluster does, running ANSYS
applications in local or distributed mode, but uses its own scheduling capability rather than that of a third-
party job scheduler.
Every RSM installation includes a default localhost ARC configuration that enables you to run
solutions and updates on your local machine, essentially making your machine a single-node cluster.
• Third-party Cloud. Through RSM customization, provides access to Cloud-hosted compute services.
Note:
• For a Microsoft HPC cluster, PSSH is not supported on Microsoft Windows for job submission.
• PBS, LSF, UGE and TORQUE clusters on Windows are not supported.
Once the configurations have been created, the administrator must share them with users. You must
then either copy the configurations into your default RSM configuration directory, or, if they reside in
a shared directory, change the path of your RSM configuration directory to the path of the shared dir-
ectory. (See Sharing and Accessing RSM Configurations in the Remote Solve Manager User's Guide.)
Once RSM configurations have been made available to your local machine, the RSM queues that are
defined in those configurations are listed in the RSM Queue drop-down menu when you select the
Submit to Remote Solve Manager option for updates and solutions. Each RSM queue is associated
with a specific HPC queue that has been created on the cluster/portal side. An HPC queue determines
the machine(s) where jobs are run.
Depending on the RSM queue chosen, jobs can be run locally in the background on your local machine,
sent to a remote machine, or distributed across multiple machines.
Note:
The naming scheme for jobs sent to RSM is as follows:
• For Mechanical jobs:
[client machine name]-[Workbench project name]-[design point name]-[Model node name

(including cell ID)]-[Environment node name (including cell ID)]-[Solution node name (in-
cluding cell ID)]
Example: MyWorkstation-MyProject-DP0-Model (A4)-Static Structural (B5)-Solution (B6)
• For CFX/Fluent/Polyflow/Mechanical APDL jobs:
[client machine name]-[Workbench project name]-[design point name]-[System name]-

[Component name (including cell ID)]
Example: MyWorkstation-MyProject-DP0-CFX-Solution (C3)
Jobs submitted to RSM can be monitored using the Workbench Job Monitor (see Monitoring and
Controlling Remote Solve Manager Jobs in Workbench (p. 299)).
This chapter assumes that RSM has been set up according to the instructions in the Remote Solve
Manager User’s Guide (see RSM Installation and Startup and RSM Configuration).
Related topics:
Specifying Credentials for Remote Solve Manager Job Submission
Submitting Solutions to Remote Solve Manager
Submitting Project Updates to Remote Solve Manager
Submitting System Coupling Jobs to Remote Solve Manager
Submitting Mechanical Application Jobs to Remote Solve Manager
Submitting Mechanical APDL Jobs to Remote Solve Manager
Submitting Fluids Jobs to Remote Solve Manager
Monitoring and Controlling Remote Solve Manager Jobs in Workbench
Updating Design Points in Remote Solve Manager
Specifying Credentials for Remote Solve Manager Job Submission

Remote Solve Manager (RSM) needs to acquire and cache your credentials to be able to submit jobs to
an HPC resource on your behalf. RSM's direct integration with Workbench and built-in caching capability
automates this process to a great extent.
When you submit a job to RSM from Workbench for the first time, and your credentials have not yet
been cached for the RSM queue in RSM, or the cached password does not validate because your OS
password has changed or expired, you are prompted to specify credentials for that queue:
If the credentials validate, the job is submitted to the HPC resource. If the credentials do not validate,
the job is aborted.

You can use the Solution Process properties of a system's Solution cell to submit the solution to Remote
Solve Manager (RSM).
Use this option for long-running solutions that do not fit within your workstation's resources. When
you submit a solution, RSM can send it to a remote compute cluster, or to a Cloud portal. RSM can also
submit jobs to the local machine to allow the queuing of solutions on your workstation.
Note:
When submitting solve jobs to the remote cluster, the license preferences set for your local
machine (the RSM client) may not be the same as the license preferences set for the cluster.
In this case, the cluster license preferences are used for all jobs.
To submit solutions to RSM:
1. Right-click the Solution cell of a system and select Properties from the context menu.
2. In the Properties pane, from the Update Option drop-down list, select Submit to Remote Solve Manager.
Important:
When design points are configured to be updated in RSM, the Solution cell cannot also
be updated in RSM. In this case, change the Solution cell update settings by setting
the Update Option Solution Process property to Run in Foreground.
3. Set the following additional properties:
• Solve Process Setting (Mechanical application only): Select the solving configuration defined in
Mechanical.
• RSM Queue: Specifies a queue defined in RSM that maps to a specific HPC queue on the cluster/portal
side. Any RSM queues currently defined in RSM appear in this drop-down list. The RSM Queue Details
section displays the HPC Configuration, HPC Queue, and HPC Type (for example, ARC, WinHPC, or
LSF) that the RSM queue is associated with.
If a queue has been recently added in RSM and you do not see it in the list, select Refresh
Queues to update the queue list.
• Job Name: Displays the name reported in the RSM job log. The default name for a Workbench job is
Workbench, or whatever is set for the Default Job Name in your Workbench options. The default
name for a Mechanical job submitted from the Mechanical application is Mechanical. The job name
provides a traceable piece of data that administrators can use to track job submissions to a cluster (for
billing purposes, for example).
To override the default job name, double-click the Job Name Value cell and type the required
name.
Job name overrides must adhere to the following conventions:
– Can only use alphanumeric characters and ~ # % ^ , & * ' ( ) - _ + = / < >
– Cannot exceed 15 characters
– The first character must be one of the alphanumeric characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9)
• Download Progress Information: Specifies that the solver monitor should periodically query RSM for
output files in order to display progress (where applicable). Queries begin when you initiate an action
to display the solution progress (such as choosing the Display Monitors option in CFX). This option,
available for Fluent and CFX systems, is enabled by default.
For CFX systems, select from the following options:
– Always Download Progress Information: Causes queries to RSM to begin immediately. This option
is enabled by default.
– Download Progress Information on Demand: Causes queries to RSM to begin when you initiate
an action to display the solution progress (such as choosing the Display Monitors option in CFX).
For all other systems, select or clear the Download Progress Information check box.
• Progress Download Interval: Specifies the periodic time interval, in seconds, that the solver queries
RSM for output files to display progress. The default is 30. Setting this value to 0 results in continuous
queries; that is, as soon as files are downloaded from the execution node, Workbench immediately
queries again. This option is available for Fluent and CFX systems.
• Execution Mode: Specifies the serial or parallel solver execution mode. The parallel option is available
only if the selected solver supports parallel execution mode. This option may not be available with all
systems.
When performing a design point update in RSM with component update in the foreground, the
Parameter Set properties override the parallel-process settings in individual components. For
details on updating design points, see Updating Design Points in Remote Solve Manager (p. 303).
• Number of Processes: Specifies the number of processes to use for the solution if parallel execution
mode is selected. The default is 2. Must be set to a number greater than or equal to 2.
If you choose not to save the project and any cells are configured to use RSM or run in the back-
ground, you must change the solution process settings of those cells to run in the foreground
5. To start the solution, select the appropriate option from the application, or right-click the Solution cell
and select Update from the context menu.
The Solution cell enters the Pending state (p. 367).

You can submit a project to Remote Solve Manager (RSM) for remote update of the project. Depending
on how RSM is configured, he update can be submitted to an HPC cluster or Cloud portal for execution
(see Working with ANSYS Remote Solve Manager (p. 273)).
Note:
If you are sending solve jobs to a remote cluster, the license preferences set for your local
machine (the RSM client) may not be the same as the license preferences set for the remote
cluster. In this case, the cluster license preferences are used for all jobs.
To submit a project update to RSM:
1. To open the project properties, from the menu bar select View → Properties or right-click the white
space of the Project Schematic and select Properties.
2. Under Solution Process, set the Update Option property to Submit to Remote Solve Manager.
Additional properties are displayed. Use these properties to specify your remote submission settings.
• RSM Queue: Select the queue to be used for the remote solution. Any queues currently defined for
RSM appear in the drop-down list. If you have added a queue and it does not appear in the list, click
Refresh Queues.
Every RSM queue is associated with a particular configuration that is defined in RSM. In the RSM
configuration, the RSM queue is mapped to a specific HPC queue that has been defined on the
cluster/portal side.
• Job Name: Displays the name reported in the RSM job log. The default name for a Workbench job is
Workbench, or whatever is set for the Default Job Name in your Workbench options. The default
name for a Mechanical job submitted from the Mechanical application is Mechanical. The job name
provides a traceable piece of data that administrators can use to track job submissions to a cluster (for
billing purposes, for example).
To override the default job name, double-click the Job Name Value cell and type the required
name.
Job name overrides must adhere to the following conventions:
– Can only use alphanumeric characters and ~ # % ^ , & * ' ( ) - _ + = / < >
– Cannot exceed 15 characters
– The first character must be one of the alphanumeric characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9)
• Pre-RSM Foreground Update:
– To update your geometry locally before submitting project updates to RSM, select Geometry.
Select this option if the execution node does not have a license to perform geometry updates.
– To submit project updates to RSM without first updating the geometry locally, .select None.
• Component Execution Mode: Specifies the serial or parallel solver execution mode. The parallel option
is available only if the selected solver supports parallel execution mode. This option may not be available
with all systems.
When performing a design point update in RSM with component update in the foreground, the
Parameter Set properties override the parallel-process settings in individual components. For
details on updating design points, see Updating Design Points in Remote Solve Manager (p. 303).
The Project Update properties specified here are shared with the Parameter Set as Design Point
Update Process properties. Changes to the values of these properties here are reflected in the Para-
meter Set properties, and vice versa.
Note:
In most cases, the Update Project button or menu item updates all systems and cells in a
project. When a project update is submitted to RSM as described, however, only those systems
above the Parameter Set bar are sent to RSM for remote update. If needed, DesignXplorer
systems can be further updated once the remote project update is completed.

You can send a System Coupling simulation to Remote Solve Manager (RSM) for remote update. For a
coupled simulation to be executed remotely, you must submit the Workbench project to RSM for a
project update.
To submit System Coupling jobs to RSM:
1. Set your project's Solution Process and Project Update properties as described in Submitting Project
Updates to Remote Solve Manager (p. 278).
2. Click the Update Project button in the Workbench toolbar.
All of the systems in the Project Schematic, including the System Coupling system, are updated
through RSM.
Note:
For the System Coupling Solution cell, the Update Option property can only be set to Run
in Foreground. If you attempt to update the System Coupling system from its Solution cell,
the project update is not sent to RSM, regardless of the project's Update Option setting.
The following sections provide information that is specific to remote project updates for System
Coupling simulations:
Distribution of Computing Resources Across System Coupling Participants
Restricting Solve Processes for System Coupling Project Updates
Monitoring System Coupling Solution Information
Restarting an Interrupted Remote Project Update
Distribution of Computing Resources Across System Coupling Participants

In a project with System Coupling, the individual components (such as Fluent, Mechanical, or CFX)
share resources. By default, when a project containing a System Coupling system is submitted to
RSM, available computing resources are distributed equally across all coupling participants according
the number of compute nodes available and processes requested. Component-level parallel settings
(such as the Execution Mode and Number of Processes properties) are disregarded during the
project update.
Example 4: Six Processes
If a coupled simulation requests six processes to be executed on a cluster that has six nodes with
one processor per node, then participant solvers will start six processes, with one on each compute
node. The participant solvers alternate their processing, so that only one participant is actively using
computing resources at a time.
Node
Solver
Processes
for
Participant
12
11
21
31
41
51
61
Example 5: Ten Processes
If a coupled simulation requests 10 processes to be executed on a cluster that has 4 nodes with 8
processors per node, then each participant solver will start 10 processes.
Node
Solver
Processes
for
Participant
12
18
22
30
40
Restricting Solve Processes for System Coupling Project Updates

For a project configured for parallel processing, you can limit the number of solve processes that a
coupling participant can use when the project is submitted to Remote Solve Manager (RSM). To do
so, set the participant’s Restriction for Project/Design Point Update via RSM Solution cell properties
as described in Updating Design Points in Remote Solve Manager (p. 303).
The solve process limitations are applied only to that component, and resources are otherwise allocated
equally across participants. Resource allocation for the restricted participant is as follows:
• If the component’s Specify Number of Processes Restriction is enabled and Number of Processes Used
Not to Exceed is less than or equal to the number of processes requested by the project, then the com-
ponent is limited to the component-specified number of processes.
• If the component’s Specify Number of Processes Restriction is enabled and Number of Processes Used
Not to Exceed is set to a value greater than the number of processes requested by the project, then the
component is limited to the project-specified number of processes.
• If the component’s Serial Execution Only is enabled, then the component is limited to a single process.
Monitoring System Coupling Solution Information

As the remote project update progresses, a single System Coupling Transcript/Log file (scLog.scl)
is generated for the coupling project and displayed in the Solution Information pane of the System
Coupling workspace. It is updated intermittently so you can use it to monitor the project update.
Note:
When a project has multiple design points being updated simultaneously (for example the
Job Submission Parameter Set property is set to One Job for Each Design Point), you
cannot switch between the log files for the different design points. During and after
completion of the updates, System Coupling displays the log file for the design point with
the highest ID. To display the log file for the Current design point, you must save and reopen
the project.
For more information, see the following sections in the System Coupling User's Guide:
• Monitoring Solution Progress
• Transcript and Log File (scLog.scl)
Restarting an Interrupted Remote Project Update

If you have interrupted a remote update of a System Coupling project, the Solution cells in your
project are given a status of Interrupted, Up to Date.
To restart the update:
2. In the dialog box that opens, click one of the following buttons:
• Use Partially Updated: Accepts the partially updated solution as Up to Date and uses it to update
the project.
• Update All: Restarts the interrupted run, updating all solutions to completion before updating the
project.

Use the following steps to submit Mechanical jobs to a cluster or Cloud portal using Remote Solve
Manager (RSM).
1. Configure your remote solution settings in Remote Solve Manager.
See RSM Configuration in the Remote Solve Manager User's Guide.
2. To launch the Mechanical application, on the Project Schematic, double-click the Solution cell in your
Mechanical system.
3. In the Mechanical application, on the Home tab, select Solve Process Settings.
Alternatively, switch to the File tab and select Solve Process Settings.
4. Follow the instructions in Using Solve Process Settings to configure your solution settings.
The settings established here are visible in the Solution Process properties in Workbench.
5. In Workbench, select the Solution Process settings that you want to use for this solution and update the
Solution cell (p. 205).
Alternatively, in the Mechanical application, on the Home tab select Solve then select a configur-
ation from the drop-down list.
Note:
• You can interrupt or abort an update by right-clicking the Solution cell. These options are
available during foreground, background, Portal and RSM updates.
• The Workbench Options allow you to control the Mechanical application's license handling.
As described in Mechanical (p. 350), you can configure the license to always be released
during batch run or to be released when you perform an Update All Design Points run. A
third option is On Demand, which makes a Release License option available on the Solution
cell's context menu when the cell is in the pending state during a batch run.
Workbench/RSM Integration with the Mechanical Application

The properties associated with a Mechanical system's Solution cell include a Solution Process section.
This section allows you to specify the Solve Process Setting for the Mechanical application to use
when an update operation is initiated from Workbench. You can select only an existing solve process
setting, but new solve process settings can be added (and existing solve process settings can be
modified) by selecting Tools → Solve Process Settings in the Mechanical application.
Note:
Any solve initiated in the Mechanical application ignores the solution component properties
selected in Workbench and continues to work as it has in previous versions.
Example 6: Default Update with My Computer Set as the Default Solve Process Setting
In this case, the default Solve Process Setting in the Mechanical application is My Computer.
In Workbench, the Solution Process property Update Option is set to Use application default,
which causes Mechanical to use its default solve process setting.
Results:
Solve Initiated From Solve Process Setting Used

Workbench My Computer
Mechanical My Computer
Example 7: Default Update with My Computer, Background Set as the Default Solve Process
Setting
In this case, the default solve process setting in the Mechanical application is My Computer, Background.
In Workbench, the Solution Process property Update Option is set to Use application default,
which causes Mechanical to use its default solve process setting.
Results:

Workbench My Computer, Background
Mechanical My Computer, Background
Example 8: RSM Update Using My Computer, Background, with My Computer Set as the Default
Solve Process Setting
In this case, the default solve process setting in the Mechanical application is My Computer.
In Workbench, the Solution Process property Update Option is set to Submit to Remote Solve
Manager. The solve process setting selected in Workbench is My Computer, Background.
Results:

Workbench My Computer, Background
Mechanical My Computer

You can use Remote Solve Manager (RSM) as a serial or parallel solution for Mechanical APDL jobs. If
your RSM configuration directory contains configurations for a cluster or a Cloud portal, you can access
cluster/portal queues that act as a parallel solution option.
Note:
Mechanical APDL has the following limitations when used with Remote Solve Manager:
• Reconnect does not work after moving a project to another machine.
• Only one copy of a saved project that is in the pending state can reconnect successfully.
• You must manually save a project after a reconnect.
• Reference files must be in the same directory as the ANSYS input file.
• Restarts of solves to a cluster are not supported from Workbench.
In the Solution Process pane:
1. Configure your remote solution settings in Remote Solve Manager. For more information see RSM Config-
uration in the Remote Solve Manager User's Guide.
2. In Workbench, right-click the Solution cell and select Properties.
3. In the Solution Process settings, set the Update Option to Submit to Remote Solve Manager.
4. Select a RSM Queue.
5. Set the Execution Mode to either Serial or Parallel.
6. Set the Number of Processors. For a serial solution, select 1; for a parallel solution, specify the number
of partitions.
You should have at least 100,000 elements or nodes per partition to compensate for the overhead
associated with the partition. The cluster job scheduler automatically controls where the partitions
are solved.
When the Mechanical APDL job is submitted to RSM, some options in the Properties pane (Pro-
cessors, Distributed, MPI Type, Machine List, and Custom Executable Path) become read-only
and their values are ignored.
Note:
If Download Distributed Files is checked, all files involved in a distributed solve are
downloaded.

Use the following instructions to submit various fluid jobs to Remote Solve Manager (RSM).
Submitting CFX Jobs to Remote Solve Manager
Submitting Polyflow Jobs to Remote Solve Manager
Submitting Fluent Jobs to Remote Solve Manager
Submitting Icepak Jobs to Remote Solve Manager
Submitting Forte Jobs to Remote Solve Manager
Exiting a Project During a Remote Solve Manager Solution Cell Update
Submitting CFX Jobs to Remote Solve Manager

You can use Remote Solve Manager (RSM) as a serial or parallel solution for CFX jobs. If your RSM
configuration directory contains configurations for a cluster or a Cloud portal, you can access
cluster/portal queues that act as a parallel solution option.
Note:
CFX has the following limitations when used with Remote Solve Manager:
• RIF (Flamelet) cases are not supported.
• You cannot edit a run that is in progress.
• You cannot perform a remote backup.
• For runs that are submitted to a remote machine:
– Serial and local parallel runs are always supported.
– Other local parallel modes must be supported on the job host.
– Distributed parallel is supported only for multi-node clusters.
• The default update interval for display monitors is 120 seconds. Use the Download Progress
Information and Progress Download Interval options under Tools → Options → Solution
Process to enable/disable polling or to change the polling interval. The settings established
here are also visible in the Solution Process properties pane in Workbench.
1. Configure your remote solution settings in Remote Solve Manager. For more information see RSM
Configuration in the Remote Solve Manager User's Guide.
For a parallel solution:
• You can specify the Number of Processes that you want to use to create the results file. You should
specify a number that is less than or equal to the number of cores available in the cluster, and you
should ensure that each process contains at least 100,000 nodes or elements.
• UGE and PBS clusters must be configured to use the SSH communication protocol; RSH is not suppor-
ted. If you are using the Submit to Remote Solve Manager option, see Configuring RSM to Use SSH
for Job Submission and/or File Transfers to a Remote Linux Cluster in the Remote Solve Manager User's
Guide.
You can interrupt or abort an update by right-clicking the Solution cell. These options are
available during foreground, background and RSM updates.
Note:
The monitoring of solution updates submitted to RSM has the following limitations:
• When you use the Solution cell's properties field to set the frequency at which you poll the
data, this represents a maximum frequency. In cases of network congestion or where large
files are involved, the observed monitor update frequency is less.
• Solution monitor data is transferred using the CFX Solver-Manager, which has a limited capacity
to handle monitor data transfer requests. In situations where multiple users are using the same
CFX Solver-Manager to monitor runs, or where multiple runs are being monitored by a single
user, the update frequency of monitor data may decrease or become sporadic.
• When monitoring RSM updates, CFX Solver-Manager does not report run completion. The Out
File window displays the completed run information; however, CFX Solver-Manager's workspace
still displays Running. Note that in these cases, Workbench accurately reports update completion.
Submitting CFX Jobs with Design Points to Remote Solve Manager

When performing a Design Point update with a CFX system using Remote Solve Manager (RSM),
the Component Execution Mode and Max. Number of Processes Per Job settings on the Para-
meter Set Properties pane control the parallel-processing settings that the CFX Solver uses. For
details, see Updating Design Points in Remote Solve Manager (p. 303).
Submitting Polyflow Jobs to Remote Solve Manager

Use the following steps to submit Polyflow jobs to Remote Solve Manager (RSM).
Note:
Polyflow has the following limitations when used with Remote Solve Manager:
• The RSM interrupt option performs an abort operation, not an interrupt.
• Parallel design point submissions to batch queue clusters only run on the master node and
with the number of cores allocated by the batch queue scheduler.
Submitting Fluent Jobs to Remote Solve Manager

You can use this feature to queue multiple jobs to run on the local machine (overnight, for example,
or during other low-usage times), or to submit a job to a remote cluster or Cloud portal.
Note:
Fluent has the following limitations when used with Remote Solve Manager:
• System Coupling is not supported.
• UDFs are supported but you must have a supported compiler on Windows 64-bit machines.
Supported compilers for Windows are Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Standard and Microsoft
Visual Studio 2010 Professional.
• On Linux, UDFs are supported. You can always send UDFs between Linux machines and make
use of the auto-compile feature; if the machines have compatible compilers, you can send
precompiled UDFs.
For additional information about compiling Fluent UDFs, see Compiling UDFs in the Fluent
Customization Manual.
For a parallel solution, specify the Number of Processes that you want to use to create the
results file. You should specify a number that is less than or equal to the number of cores available
in the cluster, and you should ensure that each process contains at least 100,000 nodes or ele-
ments.
An update of the Solution cell submits the job to RSM, moves into Pending mode for the duration
of the solution, and then automatically reconnects at the end of the run.
Solution Properties: Use Setup Launcher Settings

The Properties pane of the Fluent Solution cell has a toggle that controls whether the solution
uses settings from the setup launcher. When Use Setup Launcher Settings is checked, the
launcher settings are copied from Setup component to Solution component. This copying also
happens any time you change the launcher settings in setup. When Use Setup Launcher Settings
is cleared, the Solution cell's launcher settings are available:
Setting Name Default Applicable to Remote Solve

Manager (RSM)
General
Precision Single Precision Yes
Show Launcher at Enabled No
Startup
Display Mesh After Enabled Yes
Reading
Embed Graphics Enabled Yes
Window
Use Workbench Color Enabled Yes
Scheme
Set up Compilation Enabled No
Environment for UDF
Use Job Scheduler Disabled No
Run Parallel Version The initial default execution mode Yes
(Serial / Parallel) is based on the
run settings. The initial number of
processes in RSM is based on the
Number of Processors option in
the run settings: if it is > 1, that
value is used, otherwise 2 is used.
If Run Parallel Version is not
enabled, then serial mode is
forced.

Manager (RSM)
UDF Compilation Script $(FLUENT_ROOT)\$(ARCH)\udf.bat No
Path
Use Remote Linux Nodes Enabled No
Remote
Remote Polyflow Root None No
Path
Use Specified Remote Enabled No
Working Directory
Remote Working None No
Directory
Remote Spawn RSH No
Command
Use Remote Cluster Enabled No
Head Node
Remote Host Name None No
Parallel Run Settings
Number of Processors 1 No
Interconnect None No
Note:
You can enable Inter-

connect to be
available for
Polyflow RSM runs
by enabling Tools →
Options → Solution
Process → Show
Advanced Solver
Options. This setting
requires you to
ensure that the
remote Compute
servers can accept
the interconnect
that you
specify—there is no
automatic checking
for such
compatibility.
To learn what values

are available, see
Starting Parallel
ANSYS Fluent on a
Windows System

Manager (RSM)
Using Command
Line Options in the
Fluent User's Guide.
MPI Type None No
Note:
You can enable MPI

Type to be available
for Polyflow RSM
runs by enabling
Tools → Options →
Solution Process →
Show Advanced
Solver Options. This
setting requires you
to ensure that the
remote Compute
servers can accept
the MPI Type that
you specify—there
is no automatic
checking for such
compatibility.
To learn what values

are available, see
Starting Parallel
ANSYS Fluent on a
Windows System
Using Command
Line Options in the
Fluent User's Guide.
Use Shared Memory Disabled No

Machine Specification File containing the machine list No
Machine Filename None No
Solution Process
The Solution cell's Solution Process setting is always displayed; when Use Setup Launcher Settings
is checked, the option is read-only:
Update Option You can choose to Run in Foreground, Run in Background, or Submit
to Remote Solve Manager. When Submit to Remote Solve Manager is
chosen, options that are not applicable to RSM are hidden. Also, fluent-
launcher.txt does not contain options that conflict with RSM.
Submitting Icepak Jobs to Remote Solve Manager

You can use this feature to queue multiple jobs to run on the local machine (overnight, for example,
or during other low-usage times), or to submit a job to a remote cluster or Cloud portal.
Note:
Icepak has the following limitations when used with Remote Solve Manager:
• You cannot submit jobs containing parametric trials to RSM.
• Convergence data is not plotted in Icepak on the local computer. The .res and .uns_out
files are written at the frequency specified in RSM settings. You must open them in Icepak to
view them.
of the solution, and then automatically reconnects at the end of the run.
For a parallel solution, specify the Number of Processes that you want to use to create the
results file. You should specify a number that is less than or equal to the number of cores available
in the cluster, and you should ensure that each process contains at least 100,000 nodes or ele-
ments.
Note:
RSM updates Icepak with onvergence plot data at the Progress Download Interval
specified in Workbench. Set the Progress Download Interval as needed prior to
starting the solution.
of the solution, and then automatically reconnects at the end of the run. To re-run a solution
with the same model, run another solution in the same project, or run a restart solution, right-
click the Setup cell in Workbench and select Enable Update.
You can interrupt or abort an update by right-clicking the solution in the Workbench Job Monitor.
These options are available during background and RSM updates. To display the Job Monitor,
select Jobs → Open Job Monitor.
Submitting Forte Jobs to Remote Solve Manager

Use the following steps to submit Forte jobs to Remote Solve Manager (RSM).
Note:
Forte has the following limitations when used with Remote Solve Manager:
• If solving on a Linux RSM queue, upstream geometry changes must be configured to occur
before the RSM job. Select Pre-RSM Foreground Update to Geometry in the Project Update
settings of the Project Schematic.
• Forte's Monitor component does not provide live updates.
• You must specify at least two parallel processes.
2. In Workbench, right-click the white space of the Project Schematic and select Properties.
5. Set the Execution Mode to Parallel.
6. Specify the Number of Processes that you want to use to create the results file.
The number of process must be equal to or greater than two.
Exiting a Project During a Remote Solve Manager Solution Cell Update

You can exit a project while a Solution cell update using Remote Solve Manager (RSM) is in progress
(one or more RSM jobs are running in the background and the Progress pane displays a project
status of Waiting for background task).
Note:
You cannot exit Workbench while job files are being uploaded. You can abort the job
during the upload by using the Stop button in the Progress bar.
The project must be saved at least once after the Solution cell update job was initiated for RSM jobs
to continue to run after you exit the project.
If you attempt to exit a project while a Solution cell update job is still running, the following scenarios
cause a dialog box to open, allowing you to specify whether you want to save the project before
exiting:
• You have never saved the project at any time after the same Solution cell update job was initiated.
• You have saved the project at least once after the same Solution cell update was initiated, but results
have been retrieved since your last save.
In either of these cases, if you do not save the project before exiting:
• All results retrieved since the last save operation are lost. You must save the project before exiting if
you want to keep any of results retrieved since the last save of the background Solution cell update.
• If the project has never been saved after the Solution cell update job was initiated, all RSM jobs are
aborted and display a status of Cancelled and the cancelled icon ( ) in the RSM List pane; the asterisk
on the icon indicates that the job has also been released. When you reopen the project, it is in the
state of your last manual save.
• If the project has been saved at least once after the Solution cell update job was initiated, RSM jobs
that are queued and running continue to run after you exit. When you reopen the project, you can
resume the update of the pending jobs to reconnect and download the results.
If you do save the project before exiting:
• Retrieved results are saved to the project.
• RSM jobs that are queued and running will continue to run after you exit.
• Jobs where the results have been saved display a Status of Finished and the finished icon ( ) in the RSM
List pane; the asterisk on the icon indicates that the job has also been released.
• Jobs where results have not yet been saved are not released upon exit. When you reopen the project, you
can resume update of the pending jobs to reconnect and download the results.

If you have chosen to submit project updates, design point updates, or component updates using the
Submit to Remote Solve Manager option, you can monitor their progress by displaying the Job
Monitor in Workbench.
To display the Job Monitor, select Jobs → Open Job Monitor, or click on the status
bar.
The Job Monitor provides a live view of what is happening in Remote Solve Manager (RSM) with the
current Workbench project.
The following information for each job is displayed:
• Job name
• Status (Running, Finished, Failed, and so on)
• Submission date/time
• Owner
• RSM queue
• HPC configuration
• HPC queue
Clicking on a job displays a detailed job log in the lower pane.
You can perform the following actions:
• To hide design point updates in the job list, disable the Include Design Point Jobs check box.
• To view a job report for a specific job, select the job in the Jobs pane. The report is displayed in the Details
pane.
• To save a job report to a file, click in the Details pane, then accept or specify the save location, filename,
and content to include:
You can use the context-sensitive menus in the Jobs pane and Details pane to perform a variety of
actions. For example, you can customize the job list display, and perform actions on a job such as Abort
or Interrupt.
Related topics:
Using the Taskbar Icon
Viewing the Status of Jobs
Controlling the Display of the Job List
Performing Job Actions
Controlling the Display of Job Details
Using the Taskbar Icon

When you launch the Job Monitor, a job monitor icon is also displayed on your Windows taskbar. If
you subsequently minimize the Job Monitor window, you can quickly restore it by clicking the taskbar
icon.
Viewing the Status of Jobs

The status of each job is indicated in the Status column in the Jobs pane, and by a unique icon at
the beginning of the job entry. For jobs that have completed, the Status column and icon indicate
the final status of the job. The addition of an arrow symbol to the final status icon indicates that the
job has been released.
Status Description Icon Released Icon

Input Job is being uploaded to the cluster.
Pending
Queued The job has been placed in the cluster queue and is
waiting to run.
Running Job is running.
Cancelled Job has been terminated using the Abort option.
Also applies to jobs that have been aborted

because you exited a project without first
performing one of the following actions:
• Saving the project since the update was initiated
• Saving results retrieved since your last save
Finished Job has completed successfully.
Also applies to jobs that have been terminated

using the Interrupt option or for which you have
saved results prior to exiting the project.
Failed Job has failed.
May be applied to jobs that cannot be cancelled

due to fatal errors.
Controlling the Display of the Job List

You can sort the job list by job name, status, owner, and so on by clicking on the appropriate column
header in the Jobs pane. Clicking on the same column header again reverses the sort order.
If you right-click any column header, a context menu is displayed which contains the following options:
Select All Selects all jobs in the list.

(CTRL+A)
Scroll to Returns you to the beginning of the job list.
Top
Scroll to Takes you to the end of the job list.
Bottom
View Line Toggles the display of numbers at the beginning of

Numbers each entry in the job list.
Performing Job Actions

If you right-click a job in the Jobs pane, a context-sensitive menu is displayed that contains the fol-
lowing options:
Abort Immediately terminates a running job. Enabled only if a running job is

selected.
Jobs terminated via this option will have a Status of Canceled in the
Jobs pane.
Interrupt Terminates a running job. Enabled only if a running job is selected.
Jobs terminated via this option will have a Status of Finished in the
Jobs pane.
Remove Deletes the selected job or jobs from the Jobs pane. Enabled only if a
completed job is selected.
Cannot be used on a running job.
Controlling the Display of Job Details

When you select a job in the Jobs pane, a corresponding job log is displayed in the Details pane.
The log automatically scrolls to the bottom to keep the most recent messages in view.
If you right-click the job log, a context-sensitive menu is displayed which contains the following options:
Copy Copy selected text in the Details pane.
Alternatively, you can use the Ctrl+C key combination.

Select All Select all of the text in the Details pane.
Alternatively, you can use the Ctrl+A key combination.

Save Job Report... Save the job log to a file.
The job report includes job details and the contents of the job log shown
in the Details pane.
To save the job report:
1. Specify the following report preferences:
• Include Debug Messages: adds debugging messages to the report
• Include Log Time Stamp: adds a log time stamp to the report
• Include Line Numbering: displays line numbering in the report
2. Click Browse
3. In the File name field, type in the name of the report (RSMJob.html by
default).
4. Select the report format (HTML or text)
5. Click Save.
View Line Numbers Toggle the display of line numbers at the beginning of each line in the job log.
View Time Stamps Toggle the display of time stamps at the beginning of each line in the job log.
View Exclusively Only display file-related messages in the job log, such as those relating to file
File Messages transfers.
View Debug Toggle the display of debugging information in the job log.
Messages
Scroll to Top Go to the top of the job log.
Scroll to Bottom Go to the bottom of the job log.

Remote Solve Manager (RSM) can integrate with established compute clusters or a third-party Cloud
using configurations defined in RSM. When these configurations are made available to the RSM client
(your local computer), the RSM queues defined in those configurations are available in Workbench Each
RSM queue is associated with a specific HPC queue defined on the cluster/portal side, making it possible
for the update to be submitted to remote HPC resources. For more information see Working with ANSYS
Remote Solve Manager (p. 273).
Important:
• If you are sending design point update jobs to a remote compute cluster, the license preferences
set for your local machine (the RSM client) may not be the same as the license preferences set
for the remote cluster. In this case, the cluster license preferences are used for all jobs. For more
information, see Establishing User Licensing Preferences.
• When design points are configured to be updated using RSM, the Solution cell cannot also be
updated using RSM. To update design points in RSM, change the Solution cell update settings
by setting the Update Option property to Run in Foreground.
Related topics:
Submitting Design Points to Remote Solve Manager
Performing a Pre-Remote Solve Manager Geometry Update
Aborting or Interrupting an RSM Design Point Update
Exiting a Project during an RSM Design Point Update
Suspending and Resuming Collection of RSM Design Point Results
Product-Specific Limitations
Submitting Design Points to Remote Solve Manager

You can update design points by submitting them to Remote Solve Manager (RSM).
To submit design points to RSM:
menu.
If the Properties pane is already visible, click the Parameter Set bar to refresh the Properties
pane with the design point settings.
2. In the Properties pane, specify the Solution Process settings.
These settings are initially populated based on your selections in Tools → Options → Solution
Process. For more information, see Solution Process (p. 342). You can choose different settings
here if the default settings are not appropriate.
For design points to be updated in RSM, set the Update Option to Submit to Remote Solve
Manager and then specify an available RSM Queue.
3. For the Job Submission property, select one of the following options:
• One Job for All Design Points: All design points are submitted as a single job to RSM.
• One Job for Each Design Point: Each design point is submitted as a separate job to RSM (simultaneous
parallel updates).
• Specify Number of Jobs: Design points are divided into groups and submitted in multiple jobs, up
to the specified maximum number of jobs. You can look at the RSM List pane to determine which
design points are assigned to each job. If you select this option, the Number of Jobs property is en-
abled, allowing you to specify the maximum number of jobs that can be created.
Note:
The maximum number of jobs that can actually be run on the cluster is determined
by the cluster’s resource management system.
4. For the License Checkout property, select one of the following options:
• On-demand: Licenses are checked out on demand. If licenses are unavailable, the update will not
proceed.
• Reserved: Licenses are reserved to ensure that you have enough licenses available for the duration
of your design point study. When you select this option, you can then select the licenses to reserve.
For more information, see Reserving Licenses for a Design Point Update (p. 268).
5. For the Component Execution Mode property, select one of the following options:
• Serial: All components participating in the update are run in serial mode.
• Parallel: All components participating in the update that support this setting are run in parallel mode.
If you select Parallel:
• The Number of Processes property allows you to specify the number of processes to be used in the
solver for each job in the update. For jobs being sent to a cluster, the value entered for this property
also determines how many cores are allocated on the cluster for each job. Note that resource allocation
is determined by the cluster's resource management system.
• RSM considers each design point update job as a single job, although the component uses more re-
sources.
Submitting a design point update to RSM is supported by the Solution (or Analysis) component
update for the Mechanical APDL, Mechanical, Fluent, CFX and Polyflow solvers. These settings
override any parallel or serial settings defined at the component level. When updating a compon-
ent, system, or project, the Parameter Set properties for a design point update are ignored. The
following product specific settings are overridden for a design point update in RSM:
Product Ignored Properties

CFX-Solver Manager or CFX-Pre Solu- • All settings under the Parallel Environment tab.
tion cell
• Run mode
• All host information and partition weighting
Fluent Solution cell • Use Job Scheduler
• Run Parallel Version
• Number of Processes
• Use Shared Memory
• Machine Specification
• Machine List
Note:
The following properties remain enabled

in all situations, if set:
• Interconnect
• MPI Type
Advanced section of a Mechanical • Distributed Solution (if possible)

Solve Process Setting
• Max number of utilized cores
Mechanical APDL Analysis cell • Processors
Product Ignored Properties

• Distributed
• MPI Type
• Machine list
Polyflow Options accessed by Solu- Number of Processes

tion cell preferences
Note:
The Component Execution Mode and Number of Processes settings are applied to
all components participating in the update but can be overridden by component-level
settings. This is described in an upcoming step.
6. For the Retained Design Point property, select one of the following options:
• Update parameters (default): Only parameters are updated for retained design points. If a component
is not needed to get the value of an output parameter, it is not updated.
• Update full project: Full project is updated for retained design points. Use this setting if you want
to generate reports, or other content, from components that do not produce output parameters.
7. Design point updates to RSM include component override settings for individual systems using the
Solution or (Analysis) component for Mechanical APDL, Mechanical, Fluent, CFX and Polyflow systems.
These settings override the Component Execution Mode and Number of Processes defined for the
Parameter Set bar.
Before updating a component:
a. Right-click the Solution or (Analysis) component to expose the properties information.
b. Under Restriction for Design Point Update Via RSM:
• If solving in serial, select Serial Execution Only.
• If solving in parallel, select Specify Number of Processes Restriction and enter the number of
processes in the Number of Processes Used Not to Exceed text field.
Note:
These settings override the serial or parallel settings for only this specific system.
• For Mechanical APDL and Mechanical, if solving in parallel, select Specify Number of Processes
Restriction, enter the number of processes in the Number of Processes Used Not to Exceed
text field, and select Shared Memory Parallel.
Note:
Shared Memory Parallel allows jobs to strictly run in parallel on the master
node. It does not run jobs in distributed parallel.
8. To update your geometry locally prior to submitting design point updates to RSM, set Pre-RSM Fore-
ground Update to Geometry.
If you are using reserved licensing feature to send design point updates to RSM, you can specify
whether or not your pre-RSM geometry update is to use reserved licenses. For more information,
see Performing a Pre-Remote Solve Manager Geometry Update (p. 308).
9. Save the project (p. 229).
If you are working in an archived project, you must save the project to a permanent location.
10. Update the design points (p. 257).
The project is archived and submitted to a cluster using RSM. The remote data is retrieved peri-
odically as the design point updates complete. Should a design point update fail, an error is re-
ported to the Messages pane.
When updating design points using RSM, each output parameter that was out-of-date when the
design point update was initiated is shown in a pending state ( ) in the design points table. Work-
bench periodically queries RSM and refreshes any design point updates that have completed since
the previous query. Design point updates that have not yet completed continue to be shown in a
pending state.
Design points that have been updated using Workbench need to be reintegrated into the project as
the updates complete. To ensure the integrity of the data, Workbench restricts or disables several
user interface operations during pending RSM design point updates:
• Open editors may automatically close.
• Drag and drop from the Toolbox is disabled.
• Most context menu, toolbar, and menu selections are disabled.
• Accessing the Properties pane using a context menu is allowed, but properties cannot be modified.
• Input parameters cannot be modified.
• All File menu options except Exit and Save are disabled.
Note:
If you have updated design points remotely using a queuing system for RSM, information
on the reserved licenses is available to the job scripts in the ANSYS_RESERVED_LI-
CENSE_INFO environment variable.
Performing a Pre-Remote Solve Manager Geometry Update

You can update your geometry locally before submitting design point updates to Remote Solve
Manager (RSM). Do this when:
• Design points are being updated simultaneously in RSM. The geometry update infrastructure does not
support simultaneous design point updates in the same source geometry.
• The compute cluster cannot perform geometry updates.
• The compute cluster does not have a CAD program installed
To perform the local geometry update before design point submission:
1. Configure whether to use reserved licensing.
If you are using reserved licensing to send design point updates to RSM, you can specify
whether or not a pre-RSM geometry update is to use a reserved license. By default, a Design-
Modeler license is checked out of the reserved license pool for the pre-RSM geometry update.
To specify that reserved licenses should not be used during a pre-RSM update, in the Parameter
Set properties, select the Exclude Pre-RSM update from reserved licensing check box. A
DesignModeler license is checked out in the standard manner, rather than from the reserved li-
cense pool. The license is released once the geometry update is completed. For more information,
see Reserving Licenses for a Design Point Update (p. 268).
2. Set Pre-RSM Foreground Update to Geometry.
Note:
If the project includes a Geometry component and you have set Job Submission to either
One Job for Each Design Point or Specify Number of Jobs (with Number of Jobs set
to a value greater than 1), Workbench ignores the setting for PreRSM Foreground Update.
The geometry is updated locally in the foreground before your design points jobs are sent
to RSM.
Aborting or Interrupting an RSM Design Point Update

You can abort or interrupt an RSM update that is in progress.
To abort or interrupt the update:
1. In the Progress pane, while the Status column displays the message Waiting for background
task, click the stop button ( ) in the Progress column.
2. In the dialog box, select one of the following options:
• To stop the RSM job and return no data to the project, click Abort.
• To interrupt the RSM job and return any available data to the project, click Interrupt.
• To let the update continue and close the dialog box, click Cancel.
Exiting a Project during an RSM Design Point Update

You can exit a project while an RSM design point update is in progress. During the update, while the
one or more RSM jobs are running in the background, the Progress pane displays a project Status
of Waiting for background task.
Note:
• If you have submitted the Update All Design Points operation to RSM and are unable to exit
the project because Workbench remains busy, see Suspending and Resuming Collection of
RSM Design Point Results (p. 310).
• You cannot exit Workbench while job files are being uploaded. However, you can abort the
job during the upload by clicking the stop button ( ) in the Progress bar.
For RSM jobs to continue to run after you exit the project, the project must be saved at least once
after the design point update job was initiated.
If you attempt to exit a project while a design point update job is still running, the following scenarios
cause a dialog box to open, allowing you to specify whether you want to save the project before
exiting:
• You have never saved the project at any time after the same design point update job was initiated.
• You have saved the project at least once after the same design point update was initiated, but design
point results have been retrieved since your last save.
In either of these cases, if you do not save the project before exiting:
• All design point results retrieved since the last Save operation are lost. However, if the project has been
saved at least once since the update job was initiated, the results can be retrieved again when the project
is reopened.
• If the project has never been saved after the update job was initiated, all RSM jobs are aborted and show
a Status of Cancelled. The cancelled icon ( ) displays in the RSM List pane. The asterisk on the icon in-
dicates that the job has also been released. When you reopen the project, it is in the state of your last
manual save.
If you do save the project before exiting:
• Retrieved design point results are saved to the project.
• RSM jobs that are queued and running continue to run after you exit.
• Jobs where the results have been saved show a Status of Finished. The finished icon ( ) displays in the
RSM List pane. The asterisk on the icon indicates that the job has also been released.
• Jobs where results have not yet been saved are not released upon exit. When you reopen the project, you
can resume update of the pending jobs to reconnect and download the results.
Suspending and Resuming Collection of RSM Design Point Results

When the Update All Design Points operation has been submitted to RSM, Workbench may be col-
lecting intermediate and final results and not allow you to exit the session. To pause the data collection
so you can exit the Workbench session, select Tools → Suspend Collection of RSM Results.
When you exit the project, results are saved according to the criteria described in Exiting a Project
during an RSM Design Point Update (p. 309).
Note:
The Suspend Collection of RSM Results option is also available during a project update
in RSM. However, because only the current design point is being updated and RSM collects
results only at the end of the update process, this option has no impact on the project
update.
To resume the collection of design point data, select Tools → Resume Collecting RSM Results. The
project reopens in the same state it was in when it closed. Once all the design points have been up-
dated, all of the suspended results are collected and then updated to the project at the same time.
It is not necessary to use the Resume Collecting RSM Results option. The collection and update
happen automatically when all jobs have been completed.
Product-Specific Limitations
Some products have additional limitations when submitting design points updates to RSM:
Ansoft
Projects that include Ansoft systems return updated parameter values but do not return the detailed
solution for the current design point.
Mechanical
Design point updates in RSM can fail for a class of problems (typically involving a Structural system
linked to a Modal or other type of Mechanical system) that meet the following criteria:
• A non-parametrized upstream Mechanical system provides solution data to a parametrized downstream

Mechanical system and both systems share the same geometry/model.
• Updates are performed via a pre-RSM local update.
The parameters for some of the design points are not computed and are marked as errors in the
design points table.
Workarounds:
• Select the Enable Legacy Solve check box (Tools → Options → Mechanical).
• In the Parameter Set properties, set Pre-RSM Foreground Update to None and Job Submission to One
Job for All Design Points.
Rigid Body Dynamics and Explicit Dynamics

It is not currently possible to update design points using RSM. For assistance with the update of
design points for Explicit Dynamics, go to the ANSYS Support website and submit an online support
request.
Third-Party CAD Systems

Projects that include geometry parameters that rely on third-party CAD systems do not update the
geometry unless the CAD system is accessible on the execution node.
Working with Workbench and EKM
The ANSYS Engineering Knowledge Manager (EKM) is a simulation process and data management (SPDM)
software system that enables you to work with simulation data in an EKM repository. Within Workbench,
you can create a connection (p. 313) to an EKM portal so that you can transfer projects to and from EKM
repositories.
You can use EKM to:
• Archive completed projects or store works-in-progress in a central repository
• Share your projects and collaborate on those of others
• Retrieve your own projects or those shared by other users
• Change the permissions of projects or place them under version control
• Search projects based on names, dates, simulation type, or other criteria
• Create reports
Related topics:
Creating a Connection to an EKM Portal
Launching EKM with a Web Browser
Working with Existing EKM Connections
Working with Workbench Projects Saved in an EKM Repository
Troubleshooting EKM Connections from Workbench
Creating a Connection to an EKM Portal

To be able to save a Workbench project to an EKM repository (directly from Workbench), or retrieve a
project from an EKM repository, you must create a connection between your local Workbench installation
and an EKM portal.
A connection contains information about the server hosting EKM, the workspace to which you want to
connect, and the credentials you use to sign in to EKM.
To create a connection to EKM in Workbench:
1. Select File → Manage Connections.
2. Click Create Connection in the Manage Connections dialog box.
3. In the Create a Connection dialog box:
a. Specify a Name for the connection. This is used to identify the connection in the Portal Connection
drop-down list.
Note:
• If you specify a name that is the same as the name of an existing connection, the existing
connection will be overwritten by the one that you are currently defining.
• You can create multiple connections to the same URL as long as they are uniquely
named.
b. Enter the URL address of the EKM portal sign-in page.
c. Enter your EKM Username and Password.
4. Click OK. Your credentials are verified, and the connection is opened.
5. An EKM server may have multiple workspaces. When setting up a connection, the default workspace is
automatically selected. If you would like to select a different workspace for your connection, or simply
check which workspace is currently selected, select File → Manage Connections.
In the Manage Connections dialog box, select the desired workspace from the Workspace drop-
down. Note that the Workspace drop box will list only those workspaces that you are permitted
to access.
Launching EKM with a Web Browser

To simplify access to advanced EKM functionality, you can select File → Launch EKM Web Client...
from Workbench to open the EKM web client in your default browser. If you have more than one con-
nection defined, you will first be prompted to select a connection to open. From here, you can access
any EKM functionality.

It is possible to create multiple connections to an EKM portal using the method described in Creating
a Connection to an EKM Portal (p. 313).
You can open, close and delete connections by selecting File → Manage Connections and using the
context-sensitive menu in the Manage Connections dialog box.
Related topics:
Opening an EKM Connection
Closing an EKM Connection
Deleting an EKM Connection
Opening an EKM Connection

When you create a connection to an EKM portal, it opens automatically upon creation. When a con-
nection is open, it displays a Status of Open in the Manage Connections dialog box. Only one
connection can be open at one time, so if another connection was previously opened, it will be closed.
If you subsequently close an open connection, or it is closed by EKM or Workbench, you must open
it again to be able to use it.
To open a connection:
2. In the Manage Connections dialog box, right-click the connection and select Open Connection.
If you submit a project update or design point update to an EKM portal, and then close Workbench,
the connection will be closed at that time. To resume the update, re-open Workbench. When you do
so, Workbench attempts to re-open the connection.
Closing an EKM Connection

Although Workbench automatically closes the currently open connection if you create or try to open
another connection, you can also manually close a connection when needed.
To close an open connection:
2. In the Manage Connections dialog box, right-click the connection and select Close Connection.
Deleting an EKM Connection

If a connection is no longer valid or needed, you can delete it from the list of connections.
To delete a connection:
2. In the Manage Connections dialog box, right-click the connection and select Delete Connection.
The connection name is removed from the connections list. If you want to re-establish the connection,
you must create a new one.
Note:
When you delete a connection in Workbench, the associated cluster configuration is also
deleted in RSM.

When working with an EKM repository, you must understand the relationship between your local
working version of the project and the copy stored in the repository. Even if a project has been stored
to or opened from a repository, Workbench always operates directly on the local working copy of the
project.
Workbench is aware of the relationship between the local project and the repository copy, and helps
you manage your project and maintain consistency. When closing a changed local copy of a project
you can update the repository copy. If you open a local project, and the copy in the repository is more
recent, you have the option of downloading and updating to the repository version. This situation can
happen if, for example, you are collaborating with another user on a project that is stored centrally in
the repository, and that user has made recent changes to the project. Access control settings enable
you to restrict project permissions or apply project versioning, helping to minimize the potential for
conflicts or duplicate work.
When you save an Workbench project to an EKM repository, EKM always stores it as a Workbench Project
Archive (p. 230) (*.wbpz file) so that you can act on a single object in EKM, rather than on a set of objects.
Conversely, when you open a project from the repository, Workbench downloads the archive and extracts
the project and project files to the local directory you specify.
The following sections discuss how to work with projects saved to an EKM repository. Each section as-
sumes that you already have an open repository connection.
Saving Projects and Files to an EKM Repository
Opening a Project from an EKM Repository
Sending Project Changes to the EKM Repository
Getting Project Changes from the EKM Repository
Managing EKM Repository Project Changes
Using a Cache Server for EKM File Transfers
Saving Projects and Files to an EKM Repository

You can save your Workbench project or any files on your local system to an EKM repository for
archive storage, or to share with other users.
To save a project or local files to an EKM repository:
1. If you want to save the current project to the repository, save the project locally first.
2. Select File → Save to Repository.
3. If you have not created a connection to an EKM portal, the Create a Connection dialog box appears.
Refer to Creating a Connection to an EKM Portal (p. 313).
If connections exist but none are currently open, the Manage Connections dialog box appears.
Right-click the connection that you want to open and select Open Connection.
When you open a connection and click OK in the Manage Connections dialog box, the Save
to Repository dialog box appears:
4. Specify what you would like to save to the repository:
• To save the current Workbench project to the repository, click Current Project.
• To save specific files that are on your local system, click Local Files or Folder.
5. In the Save to Repository dialog box, select the repository location to which you want to save. To go
up a level in the repository, click . You can navigate to a specific folder by drilling down in the tree.
The My Data folder is your own private folder that others cannot access. The Shared Data folder,
on the other hand, is accessible to multiple users. To be able to save to Shared Data, your Access
Level must be set to Shared in your EKM profile. Contact your EKM administrator for more in-
formation.
6. If you are saving the current project to the repository, the project’s file name in the repository will be
the same as the project’s local file name.
If you are saving local files to the repository, click Browse next to the File(s) field, then select
the file(s) on your local system that you would like to save to the repository.
7. Optionally enter a Description of the project or selected file(s). This description will appear in EKM.
8. If you are saving the current project to the repository, you can click Show Options to specify access
and control options.
Select one of the following options from the Access control drop-down:
• Use Default Permission: Uses the default permissions for your account.
• Get Exclusive Control: Gives you exclusive control of the project, preventing other users from editing
it.
• Place under Version Control: Places the project under version control, allowing the file to be edited
by only one user at a time. When you select this option, you can check out the project by selecting
the Check out check box on the Version Control dialog box. Files under version control are identified
by their version numbers in Workbench.
If you want to receive an email alert when any of the following events occur, enable the appro-
priate check boxes in the Alert on section:
• Modified
• Downloaded
• Checked In/Checked Out
• Lifecycle State Changed
9. Click Save.
10. In the File Options dialog box, specify which optional items you would like to include in the save.
If you are saving the current project, the project files will be uploaded to the EKM repository and
archived in a .wbpz file. Once the upload portion of the operation has started, you can continue
with further analysis tasks or work with other projects. You will not be allowed to exit Workbench
until the upload has completed.
When you upload a file to the EKM repository, you will regain control of the Workbench interface as
soon as the upload completes; EKM will extract the metadata asynchronously. If the metadata extraction
fails, you will not see any indication in Workbench. However, the project object in EKM (viewed via
the EKM web client) will indicate that metadata is missing.
Once the project has been successfully uploaded to the repository, you can perform additional EKM-
based operations on it through the EKM web client if desired.
Opening a Project from an EKM Repository

When you open a project from an EKM repository, ANSYS Workbench downloads the project and
project files to the local directory that you specify.
Note:
• You cannot open a project from an EKM repository if it is currently checked out by someone
else. Attempting to do so will result in the error message 'current user does not have modify
permission'.
• You cannot use the Open from Repository action to open a branched repository project, or
a Workbench project archive (.wbpz) file that has been renamed or copied in EKM. In these
cases, you must sign into EKM, download the project, and then use the standard Open action
in Workbench to open the downloaded project.
To open a project from an EKM repository:
1. From Workbench, select File → Open from Repository.
2. If you have not created a connection to an EKM portal, the Create a Connection dialog box appears.
Refer to Creating a Connection to an EKM Portal (p. 313).
If connections exist but none are currently open, the Manage Connections dialog box appears.
Right-click the connection that you want to open and select Open Connection.
When you open a connection and click OK in the Manage Connections dialog box, the Open
Project from Repository dialog box appears:
3. Browse to the repository location that contains the project and select it. You can also search the repos-
itory (p. 321) if needed.
4. Change the location in which the local copy of the project is to be placed, if necessary.
5. Click Open to download the project from the repository.
6. If the project is under version control, check the project out when prompted.
Note:
If the project is under version control, you must have the project checked out in order
to send changes to the repository or modify the repository version of the project. You
cannot check out a project that is already checked out by another user.
7. Extract the project to the specified location and open it in Workbench.
Searching the Repository

The Open Project from Repository dialog box contains powerful search features to assist you in
finding projects anywhere in the repository. To perform a basic search, enter text in the Search Re-
pository field and press Enter. The quick search will search the repository and show search results
whose name, description, or additional metadata contains the specified text.
To perform an advanced search or execute a saved search, click and select Advanced Search
or Saved Searches. When performing an Advanced Search, you can search on text or additional
properties such as date, owner, or simulation types contained in the project.
Use the Saved Searches option to perform predefined public or private searches that have been
saved in the EKM repository.
Sending Project Changes to the EKM Repository

When working with a project that has been saved to or opened from an EKM repository, Workbench
generally enables you to update the repository with the current project version.
To update the repository with the changes made in a local project:
1. Save the project.
2. Select File → Send Changes to Repository. You can use this option at any time to save your changes
to the repository.
3. In the File Options dialog box, specify which optional changes to include in the send.
When sending changes to the EKM repository for a project under version control, you can either keep
the project checked out, check the project back in, or check the project in and then check it back
out.
If you check the project in, you have the option of adding comments. The project version will be
updated upon check in. If you do not check the project in, you can check it in at a later time by se-
lecting File → Manage Repository Project → Check In.
Note:
• You cannot send changes to the repository if the project is checked out to or locked by another
user, or if you do not have write permissions on the project. Attempting to do so will result in
the error message 'current user does not have modify permission'.
• The Send Changes to Repository action is disabled on the menu if you have closed the repos-
itory connection with which the project is associated. For information on opening connections,
see Working with Existing EKM Connections (p. 315).
• If the repository connection with which the project is associated is currently open, and you
submit a job to an EKM portal using a different connection, the original connection will be
closed. In this scenario, the Send Changes to Repository action will still be available on the
menu, but attempting to send changes to the repository will fail, because the appropriate
connection is not open. For information on opening connections, see Working with Existing
EKM Connections (p. 315).
Getting Project Changes from the EKM Repository

When you open a Workbench project that has been previously opened from or saved to an EKM re-
pository, Workbench checks to determine if a more recent copy of the project exists in the repository.
If a more recent copy exists, you are prompted and given the option to update your local copy with
the version of the project in the repository. If the project is under version control and is not already
checked out (either by another user or by yourself ), you are given the option of checking the project
out.
To update a project with the changes from the EKM repository:
1. Open a Workbench project that has a more recent copy in the repository.
2. The Check Repository for the Project dialog box asks if you want to check the repository for changes
to the project.
• If you do not want to be prompted to check for project updates in the future, select the Save my
choice and don't ask this question again check box. Your preference is saved to the Workbench
Tools > Options> Repository preferences and will be used the next time you open a repository
project. If you do not select this check box, Workbench checks for project updates according to the
preference set in the Options dialog box. For details on configuring how Workbench checks for
project updates, see Repository (p. 347).
• Click Yes to check the repository for changes.
3. If there are changes to the repository version of the project, the Get Changes from Repository dialog
box will ask if you want to download the changes to your local project.
• Select Check out the project if you want to prevent others from modifying the repository copy while
you are working on the project locally.
• Select Create backup of local project if you want to save a copy of the project before downloading
the changes. (Note that the backup project will not be under repository control.)
• Click OK.
For a project that is already open, you can also manually retrieve changes from the EKM repository
at any time: To do so:
1. In Workbench, select File → Manage Repository Project → Refresh Control Status. This synchronizes
the status of your local project with the status of the repository version.
2. Select File → Get Changes from Repository in Workbench.
3. If there are changes to the repository version of the project, the Get Changes from Repository dialog
box displays and lets you know that getting changes will overwrite your local copy.
4. By default, the Create backup of local project check box is selected. If you leave it selected, a backup
copy called <projectname>_backup.wbpj is created in the same local directory as the original
project.
Note:
• The Get Changes from Repository action is disabled on the menu if you have closed the re-
pository connection with which the project is associated. For information on opening connec-
tions, see Working with Existing EKM Connections (p. 315).
• If the repository connection with which the project is associated is currently open, and you
submit a job to an EKM portal using a different connection, the original connection will be
closed. In this scenario, the Get Changes from Repository action will still be available on the
menu, but attempting to get changes from the repository will fail, because the appropriate
connection is not open. For information on opening connections, see Working with Existing
EKM Connections (p. 315).
Managing EKM Repository Project Changes

When you have a project opened from the repository, the File → Manage Repository Project menu
includes the following options. Note that certain options may be disabled according the project status
and your permissions.
• Refresh Control Status: Synchronize local project status with repository project status. Other Manage
Repository Project menu options will then become enabled or remain disabled according to the project
status and your permissions.
• Access Control Status: View the current control status of the project. Selecting this option performs a
refresh of the menu so that it shows the current status of the project in terms of exclusive control, version
control, and checkout availability. Note that if the project is under the exclusive control of a user, the
status message reports that the project is locked by that user.
• Alert Setting: Specify alert settings for the project. Selecting this option launches the Alert Settings
dialog box, where you can set email notifications for when the project is modified, downloaded, checked
in/checked out, or when its lifecycle state is changed.
• Get Exclusive Control: Selecting this option allows you to gain exclusive control of the project.
• Release Exclusive Control: Available only when you have exclusive control of the project. Selecting this
option releases the exclusive control.
• Add to Version Control/Remove from Version Control: When adding the project to version control,
you have the option of checking out the project (which is necessary to send changes to the repository).
• Check In: Available for projects under version control that you chose to keep checked out after sending
changes using Send Changes to Repository. When you check a project in, you have the option of adding
comments, and immediately checking the project out again. The project version number is updated upon
check-in. Note that this option is only available for sent changes.
• Check Out: Enables you to modify a project that is under version control while preventing others from
modifying it. When you subsequently send changes to the repository, you have the option of checking
the project back in, or keeping it checked out.
• Undo Checkout: Available for projects that you have checked out, this option checks a project back in
without checking in changes that you have made to the project. The project and its version number remain
unchanged in the repository.
To gain or release control over a project in the File → Manage Repository Project menu:
1. Load the project into Workbench from the repository.
2. Select File → Manage Repository Project → Refresh Control Status to synchronize your local project
settings with the project settings in the repository version of the project. Selecting this option refreshes
the Workbench view of the repository, which may change the status of the exclusive control, version
control, and check out settings, depending on whether there are other users accessing the repository
and working with the project files.
3. Select File → Manage Repository Project → Access Control Status to view the full status of the file
in the Access Control Status dialog box.
4. Select File → Manage Repository Project → <action>, where <action> is one of the control status-
related options available to you. For example, you can:
• Select Add to Version Control to add the project to version control. If a project is already under
version control, you can select Remove from Version Control to remove it.
• Select Get Exclusive Control to gain exclusive control of the project. If the project is already under
exclusive control, you can select Remove from Exclusive Control to allow others to access the project.
If the desired option is not available, you can view the repository to see which user has made the
project file unavailable to you.
Note:
• When you make the desired change to the repository, you need to manually refresh your view
of the repository to confirm the change of state.
• If you have sent project changes to the repository, the actions on the Manage Repository
Project menu will not be refreshed until metadata extraction from the project has completed
in the EKM repository. For larger projects this may take some time.
Using a Cache Server for EKM File Transfers

A cache server is a local EKM server that can be used to improve file transfer times by allowing files
to be accessed on a Local Area Network (LAN), while the repository itself is accessed via a Wide Area
Network (WAN). When a cache server is in place, file transfers between Workbench and the EKM re-
pository use the cache server as an intermediary.
For example, for repository operations involving file uploads from Workbench (that is, Save to Repos-
itory), the files are first uploaded from Workbench to the cache server, and then transferred from the
cache server to the EKM repository. For repository operations involving file downloads to Workbench
(that is, Open from Repository), the sequence is reversed: the files are transferred from the EKM re-
pository to the cache server, and then downloaded from the cache server to Workbench.
You can check the status of a file transfer via the cache server by selecting File → Transfer to Repos-
itory Status. The Cache Transfer Status dialog box displays, showing a progress bar and a message
to indicate whether the transfer status is Active, Failed, or Completed. Once you have clicked the OK
button to exit the dialog box, the Transfer to Repository Status option becomes disabled until an-
other file transfer is performed.
Note that no repository actions (except Transfer to Repository Status) are available while a project
is being transferred to the cache server. Once the project has been cached, you can open other projects
from the repository, but you cannot perform any actions on the project being transferred until it
reaches the EKM server.

If you encounter problems connecting to or using an EKM portal, review the following hints and tips.
To be able to connect to an EKM portal, the EKM server must be running on the target machine.
Cannot connect to an EKM portal from Workbench

If you encounter problems with connecting to an EKM portal from within Workbench, try opening a
connection manually to the portal using a web browser:
1. Open a web browser.
2. In the address bar, enter the full address of the EKM server. Assuming the server is running on the default
port of 8080, the full address will be:
http://<server_name>:8080/ekm
If successful, the EKM web client for that server is launched and you are prompted for your sign-
in credentials.
Cannot connect to an EKM portal using a web browser

If you cannot connect to EKM with a browser, ensure the pop-up blocker is disabled or allows pop-ups
from the EKM server.
Cannot disconnect from an EKM portal

If you are connected to EKM with Workbench, and Workbench crashes or does not exit cleanly, you are
not disconnected from the EKM portal. This means that if you try to connect to EKM again, an error is
displayed. To resolve this issue, an EKM administrator must forcibly log you out of EKM.
Troubleshooting Workbench
This chapter lists issues and error messages that you may encounter while running Workbench.
This chapter does not include troubleshooting for data-integrated applications. See the help for the
specific application for troubleshooting information.
For additional troubleshooting information on native applications, see the following:
• Troubleshooting in the DesignXplorer User's Guide
• DesignModeler Frequently Asked Questions in the ANSYS DesignModeler User's Guide
Related topics:
General Workbench Issues
Product-Related Issues
Startup or Graphics Issues
Error Messages
Known Issues and Limitations
General Workbench Issues

This section lists issues that you may encounter in various areas of Workbench.
Error Messages Appear During Workbench Setup

During setup, if you encounter any errors containing 0x8000FFFF, you must install the required install-
ation prerequisites.
1. To open the Product & CAD Configuration Manager, select Start > ANSYS 2020 R1 > Product & CAD
Configuration 2020 R1.
2. Click Install Required Prerequisites.
CAD System Plug-In Menus Do Not Appear for NX or Creo Parametric

On Windows platforms, Workbench appends its information to an existing customization file. If a cus-
tomization file does not exist, a new one is created. For NX, Workbench looks for the custom_dirs.dat
file in the directory specified in the UGII_CUSTOM_DIRECTORY_FILE environment variable. For Creo
Parametric, Workbench looks for the config.pro file in the %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH% directory.
When the Creo Parametric Geometry Interface is set up, Workbench also appends its information to the
config.pro file located in the Creo Parametric installation path, under the \text directory (for ex-
ample, Proewildfire2\text\config.pro).
If Workbench encounters a read-only file, it cannot write the necessary information to the file. To display
the ANSYS menu in NX or Creo Parametric, you must change the permissions on the file and manually
add the appropriate Workbench-specific information.
Script Errors When Running Workbench

If you encounter script errors such as Error: Unable to create object microsoft.XMLDOM, you may need
to install the latest version of Microsoft Core XML Service (MSXML).
See the MSXML Download Page for more information on downloading and installing MSXML.
Charts Do Not Appear

If you do not see the appropriate charts created after a design point run or other updates (such as re-
sponse surface updates), from the menu bar select View → Reset Workspace.
Applications Do Not Start After Crash

On Linux machines, if Workbench applications do not launch after an abnormal exit such as a crash,
run the following utility:
$INSTALL/v201/aisol/wbcleanup
Wobbly Windows Desktop Effect Causes Crashes

The wobbly windows desktop effect on Linux machines may cause Workbench or its applications to
crash. This effect is on by default on some Linux platforms. Make sure the effect is turned off.
Linux Threading Limit

By default, many Linux systems limit the total number of threads each user can run at once, to avoid
multiple processes overloading the system. If you are running many ANSYS jobs concurrently as the
same user (for example, submitting them through Remote Solve Manager), you may hit this limit, pro-
ducing errors such as Thread creation failed.
To view the current thread limit, run the following command:
• ulimit -u (bash)
• limit maxproc (csh)
To increase the thread limit, run the following command:
• ulimit -u [limit] (bash)
• limit maxproc [limit] (csh)
Where [limit] is a numerical value (for example, 4096).
To view the administrator-imposed hard limit, run the following command:
• ulimit -H -u (bash)
• limit -H maxproc (csh)
You cannot increase the limit amount beyond this hard limit value. Contact your system administrator
to increase the hard limit.
Product-Related Issues
This section lists issues that may occur in products that integrate with Workbench.
Installing the Multilingual User Interface Pack of Microsoft Office for your
Language
If you run the 2007 or 2010 English version of Excel and the locale for the current user is configured
for a language other than English, Excel tries to locate the language pack for the configured language.
If the language pack is not found, then the error is reported and the automation of Excel, as used by
the Excel as a calculator feature, cannot be performed. To solve this issue, you must install the Multilingual
User Interface Pack of Microsoft Office for your language. As an alternative, you can also configure the
locale for the current user to English.
This bug is documented by Microsoft. For more information, see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320369.
Design point Failure when Updating Project with Multiple Excel Systems
If you have Office Excel 365, Office Excel 2013, or Office Excel 2016 installed on your machine and your
Workbench project contains multiple Excel systems and the Excel process window is hidden, updating
the project may cause design points to fail and the following exception message to display:
We found a problem with this formula. We couldn't find a range reference or a defined name.
Workaround: Before running any update operations, open the Excel process window by right-clicking
and selecting Open File in Excel.
This issue is documented by Microsoft. For more information, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/

kb/3083825.

This section lists issues that you may encounter with starting Workbench or Workbench graphics.
To minimize graphics problems, always verify that you are running the latest graphics drivers provided
by your computer's hardware manufacturer. If you are not, you may see the following message:
***An error occurred while setting up the graphics window. Please ensure that you have the latest drivers
from your graphics card manufacturer. If the error persists, you may need to decrease the graphics
acceleration. For more information, please see the Troubleshooting section in the ANSYS Workbench help.
Linux
If you are running Workbench on Linux and experience problems at startup or with the user interface
or graphics displaying correctly, and you are running in accelerated graphics mode, you may need to
relaunch Workbench using the -oglmesa flag to activate software rendering:
runwb2 -oglmesa
If Workbench detects that graphics problems are causing crashes, it automatically switches to software
rendering. Workbench also uses software rending mode by default when running on a remote display,
or on a local display if the hardware does not appear to be accelerated.
To revert to accelerated graphics mode, launch Workbench using the -oglhw flag:
runwb2 -oglhw
If you are running under Exceed3D, try the following settings if you are having graphics problems:
• Turn off the graphics (hardware) acceleration option in Exceed3D options.
• If graphics acceleration is on, turn on the GLX 1.3 option.
Any version of Exceed that does not have the GLX 1.3 option is unlikely to function correctly with
graphics acceleration.
Windows
If you experience graphics issues on Windows systems, you can find the details of your graphics card
and the driver that is currently installed by selecting Start → Run and typing the following into the
Open field:
dxdiag
Select the Display tab and review your graphics card information. You can then contact the vendor or
visit the vendor's website for details of the latest graphics drivers available for your specific graphics
card.
You may also have to adjust the hardware acceleration. To adjust the hardware acceleration, Open
Control Panel and select Display → Settings → Advanced → Troubleshoot or your operating system's
equivalent. The hardware acceleration slider should then be visible. You can also select Display →
Settings → Troubleshoot and use the troubleshooting tool to guide you to the Hardware Acceleration
panel. Try turning hardware acceleration off by dragging the slider to None. Try the software again; if
the graphics problems are resolved, then gradually increase Hardware Acceleration as far as you can
before the software fails again.
Error Messages
This section lists error messages that you may encounter in Workbench.
Unable to connect to Solver Manager

Another application might be using the Solver Manager port (10002 by default). Try changing the port
number by editing the Ansys.SolverManager.exe.config file located in the installation directory
at \AISOL\Bin\<platform>.
If you are having difficulty launching other applications/editors, it is also possible that the Windows
hosts file has been corrupted. Make sure that localhost is specified in the Windows <os
drive>:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file.
Warning at File: myxml, line 1, col 40, Encoding (utf-16, from XMLDecl or
manually set) contradicts the auto-sensed encoding, ignoring it
The message is sometimes displayed in the Remote Solve Manager (RSM) log; you can ignore it.
System.IO.IOException: Too many open files

Many Linux distributions set a default maximum for the number of files a process can have open and
this can be exceeded when solving some cases. You must increase the maximum number of open files
allowed by editing limits.conf, which on most Linux distributions is found in /etc/security/lim-
its.conf.
For example, adding the lines

# ANSYS file handle limits modification
* soft nofile 2048
* hard nofile 2048
to limits.conf sets the maximum number of open files to 2048 (the default on most Linux distribu-
tions is 1024). Increase the maximum number of open files allowed by powers of 2, trying 2048, 4096,
8192.
Further information can be found in the manual page for limits.conf, which can be accessed using
the command man limits.conf on any Linux machine with the man command installed.
You can check the current limit by using the command ulimit -a in a bash shell session or limit
in a tcsh shell session. In the output, the maximum number of open files is displayed under open files
or descriptors, respectively.

The following are known issues at the time of release, as well as system and software limitations:
• KDE is not supported on SuSE Linux Enterprise Server & Desktop 12.
• When a job is submitted that requires the MAPDL solver, and no MAPDL license is available, the job may
appear to be in the 'starting' state in the job monitor for up to 20 minutes before the issue is reported. Ad-
ditionally, if you check your system processes (with ps on Linux or Task Manager on Windows), you may
see some solver processes still running after 20 minutes. These may run for up to 80 minutes, but are small
and do not consume significant resources.
• When running or updating a Workbench project on a Linux machine that generates many files, such as a
large number of Design Points running concurrently, the solver can fail with the following exception:
System.IO.IOException: Too many open files
To prevent this failure, increase the maximum number of files able to be opened at one time by
running the ulimit command ulimit -n [limit] where limit is either a numerical value (for
example, 1000000) or, “unlimited”.
• When running Workbench on a Linux machine, it crashes when you select Extensions → ACT Start Page
from the menu bar or click ACT Start Page on the Project tab toolbar. This crash is caused by the libtotem-
mozplugin.x86_64 version 2.28.6-4.el6 dll package, used for video playback in browsers. To
avoid the crash, uninstall the package.
• The Excel feature in Workbench requires Microsoft Office Excel 2013 or 2016.
• The Excel feature is only available on Windows systems.
• In a project with retained design points, switching to a different up-to-date design point using the Set as
Current menu option automatically updates the Excel system, which could be time-consuming if the
spreadsheet contains macros or extensive calculations.
• Files written by ANSYS products cannot be synchronized with Microsoft's OneDrive file hosting service.
• Workbench products do not support running a network user installation as local root administrator.
• Specific to the Linux operating systems, use of AMD graphics cards with the latest drivers causes the ANSYS
DesignModeler and ANSYS Mechanical applications to crash. Direct Workbench to use an older, but more
compatible graphics library by running the following command prior to launching Workbench:
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/ansys_inc/v190/Framework/bin/Linux64/Mesa
• On Linux, transferring DesignModeler geometry from the geometry cell to a downstream HFSS Design system
fails if the upstream geometry is not open in the DesignModeler editor. In this case an OnRefreshTrans-
ferData failed! error message is displayed. Open the geometry in DesignModeler before transferring
it so that the transfer succeeds.
• When Material Designer is linked to Engineering Data, modifying a material name in Material Designer does
not change the corresponding material in Engineering Data but rather creates a new material with the new
name. The prior material should be deleted from Engineering Data before updating downstream components.
• Parametrizing a non-integer, non-zero number in a Forte project when your system is set to a European
number format (the decimal separator uses a comma) causes the parameter value to be displayed as zero
in Workbench. Ensure your system is set to a number format that uses a period as the decimal separator.
• Negative dimension values can invert the direction vector of SpaceClaim operations that they are associated
with; this change is applied to the current and subsequent design point updates. As a result, when a Work-
bench input parameter is used as a driving dimension for a SpaceClaim geometry, negative dimension values
may result in incorrect or unexpected geometric changes.
• Workbench can stop working when updating multiple design points through Remote Solve Manager installed
on a Linux cluster. The following error message is displayed in the Remote Solve Manger Job Monitoring
application:
ClusterJobs Command Exit Code: 134
Assertion at class.c:2876, condition 'iid <= 65535' not met
To work around this issue, reduce the number of design points that are updated in each job.
Workbench User Preferences
User preferences are set in the Options dialog box.
The preferences you set here are local settings, affecting only you. Some changes made in the Options
dialog take place immediately, while others take place after you restart Workbench.
Use the Restore Defaults button to reset the settings visible on the current page to their default values;
settings on other pages remain unchanged.
Note:
An IT manager can a place a site-wide configuration file into the installation directory of each
client machine to ensure that the Workbench software preferences are configured as the
company requires. To force a preference to be set to a particular value at startup, edit
\Program Files\ANSYS Inc\20.1\Framework\Site\SiteStartup.wbjn.
You can set user preferences in the following categories:

Project Management
Appearance
Regional and Language Options
Graphics Interaction
Journals and Logs
Project Reporting
Solution Process
Extensions
Mechanical APDL
CFX
Design Exploration
Distributed Compute Services
Repository
Fluent
Mechanical
Meshing
Engineering Data
TurboSystem
Geometry Import
Project Management
From Tools → Options → Project Management, you can specify the following.
Preference Description
Default Folder for Sets the file directory that is selected by default when saving or opening a
Permanent Files project.
When you select a different location for a project by browsing to it in

a dialog, Workbench remembers the folder location for subsequent
operations for the rest of the session; however, upon starting a new
session, the default returns to the location specified here.
To have Workbench determine the default location, select the Automat-

ically Determined by Workbench check box. To set the default location
yourself, clear the Automatically Determined by Workbench check
box and browse to the required folder.
Folder for Temporary Files Sets the folder where temporary files are written. The directory specified
here holds project files that are generated before the project is saved. Once
a project is saved, files are written to the project directory (p. 237).
.wbpz Compression Level Sets the file compression level for archiving projects (p. 230) to the .wbpz
format. The default is 3. Possible values are 0 through 9, with 0 as no
compression and 9 as maximum compression.
Appearance
From Tools → Options → Appearance, you can specify the following.
Graphics Style
Controls the graphics style of the ANSYS Workbench,DesignModeler, Meshing, and Mechanical applications.
Background Style Sets a solid graphic background or a gradient background that varies from
top to bottom, left to right, or diagonally. The default is the top to bottom
gradient.
Background Color Sets a graphic background color from the built-in color palette. The default
color is blue.
Background Color2 Sets a second graphic background color from the built-in color palette. The
second color is used for gradient background displays. For example, if you
want a top-bottom gradient that starts out white and ends up black, Back-
ground Color should be set to white and Background Color2 should be
set to black. The default color is white.
Text Color Sets the color of all text from the built-in color palette. The default color is
black.
Edge Colors Sets the edge colors from the built-in color palette.
Meshed Sets the color of all meshed edges from the built-in color palette. The default
color is black.
Display
Appearance
Controls how Workbench displays information.
Number of Significant Sets the number of digits that appear for numbers in ANSYS simulation
Digits environments. The default is 5 and possible values are 3 through 10.
This setting affects only the numbers that are displayed. It does not
imply any numerical round-off of internal calculations.
When a user-entered number has a decimal halfway between two

integers, the number is rounded to the nearest even integer. For
example, a value of 20.5 is rounded down to 20, while a value of 21.5
is rounded up to 22.
Number of Files in Sets the number of files that appear in the Recently Used Files list for both
Recently Used Files List the File menu and the context menus. The default is 4 and the maximum
number of files that you can display is 20.
If the number specified here exceeds the number of recently used files
that are available, the list displays the available number. This setting is
applied to the current Workbench session.
Beta Options When selected, beta features are displayed with the word beta in parentheses.
This check box is cleared by default.
Beta features remain untested in this release and therefore are neither
documented nor supported and may result in unpredictable behavior.
The beta option on Linux for Mechanical Explicit Dynamics is not passed
to the solver and as such has no effect for solver related beta
functionality.
Unsupported Features When selected, displays deprecated features, with the word unsupported in
parentheses, in the Toolbox. This check box is cleared by default.
While unsupported features may still be used in older projects, we

recommend updating projects to currently supported features. Because
these features are unsupported, they may not function correctly in
newer versions of the product.
Text on Toolbars When selected, displays text labels on toolbars. This check box is selected
by default.
This option applies to the ANSYS Workbench interface, the Mechanical

application, the Meshing application, and DesignModeler only.
Connections are Bundled When selected, displays connections between systems as a single link. The
at Startup label indicates all bundled connections. For example, linked systems that
shared Engineering Data, Geometry, and Model cells display a single link
with the notation 2:4, indicating that cells two (Engineering Data) through
four (Model) are connected. This check box is cleared by default.
This setting defines the initial default for all projects and can be
overridden within each project by selecting View → Show Connections
Bundled, or by selecting this option from the context menu on the
Project Schematic. Use of this option affects only newly created
projects.
System Coordinates are When selected, displays the system label letters and numbers. This check
Shown at Startup box is selected by default.
This setting defines the initial default for all projects and can be
overridden within each project by selecting View → Show System
Coordinates, or by selecting this option from the context menu on the
Project Schematic.
Quick Help Icons in System When selected, the quick help icon in cells where quick help is available.
Cells The icon appears as a small blue triangle in the lower right corner of the
cell. This check box is selected by default.
Word-wrap Text in Tables When selected, allows text in tables to wrap within the cells. This check box
is selected by default.
Regional and Language Options

From Tools → Options → Regional and Language Options, you can specify the language used for
Workbench text and messages.
You can choose to use English, German, French, or Japanese, if localized files are available. Workbench
records the language selected at installation and specified from this option in the languageset-
tings.txt file. You can also manually edit the languagesettings.txt file to specify the language.
You must exit Workbench and start a new session for changes to the language option to take effect.
Workbench looks for the languagesettings.txt file in the following locations, in order:
1. %appdata%\Ansys\v201 on Windows or $HOME/.ansys/v201 on Linux
2. <install_dir>\Ansys Inc\v201\commonfiles\Language (Windows) or <install_dir>/an-

sys_inc/v201/commonfiles/language (Linux)
Be aware that not all external applications may be translated; therefore, you may see some text and
messages in English even if you have specified a different language.
Graphics Interaction
From Tools → Options → Graphics Interaction, you can specify the following.
Mouse Wheel Sets the action that the mouse wheel performs when used.
Middle Button Sets the action that the mouse middle button performs when used.
Right Button Sets the action that the mouse right button performs when used.
Shift +Left Button Sets the action that occurs when pressing Shift on the keyboard and clicking
the left mouse button simultaneously.
Shift +Middle Button Sets the action that occurs when pressing Shift on the keyboard and clicking
the middle mouse button simultaneously.
Shift +Right Button Sets the action that occurs when pressing Shift on the keyboard and clicking
the right mouse button simultaneously.
Journals and Logs
Ctrl +Left Button Sets the action that occurs when pressing Ctrl on the keyboard and clicking
the left mouse button simultaneously.
Ctrl +Middle Button Sets the action that occurs when pressing Ctrl on the keyboard and clicking
the middle mouse button simultaneously.
Ctrl +Right Button Sets the action that occurs when pressing Ctrl on the keyboard and clicking
the right mouse button simultaneously.
Ctrl +Shift +Left Button Sets the action that occurs when pressing Ctrl+Shift on the keyboard and
clicking the left mouse button simultaneously.
To Zoom In Closer Sets whether to zoom on a model by moving the mouse in or out.
Dynamic Viewing During When selected, a short animation shows the model moving/twisting
Rotation toward its final pose if you make a standard view change (such as front,
back, left, right, bottom, top, isometric, and Look At Face/Plane/Sketch).
This check box is selected by default. Clear this check box if you are
using an older graphics card.
Use Spaceball When selected, enables the use of the Spaceball 3D import device (not
supported in UNIX). This check box is selected by default.
Extend Selection Angle Sets a limit in degrees for what kind of face and edge angles the system
Limit considers smooth. This affects the Extend to Adjacent and Extend to Limits
Extend Selection toolbar buttons in DesignModeler. Extend Selection buttons
are also present in the Mechanical application.
The default value is 20° and the range is from 0° to 90°.

Angle Increment for Sets the angular increment of the Configure tool when defining a joint.
Configure Tool
Journals and Logs

From Tools → Options → Journals and Logs, you can specify the following.
Record Journal File When selected, records a journal file (p. 212) (.wbjn) for each Workbench
session and enables the other journal options.
Journal File Directory Selects the directory where journal files are written.
On Windows, the directory preference defaults to %TEMP%\Workbench-

Journals.
On Linux, the directory preference defaults to the following, in order:
1. $TEMP/WorkbenchJournals
2. $TMP/WorkbenchJournals
3. $HOME/.ansys/WorkbenchJournals
If you record a session for future playback, the same information is
written to both the location specified here and to the file specified
when you begin recording.
Days to Keep Journal File Sets the number of days to keep journal files. The default is 7.
When running a journal When selected, adds a pause after each command when running a journal
file, pause after each file. Also enables the Seconds to Pause field.
command
Seconds to Pause Sets the number of seconds to pause between commands. The default is 1.
Write Workbench Log Files When selected, writes two log files for each Workbench session and
enables the other log file options. The two files are:
• UIEventsprocID.log
• CoreEventsprocID.log
where procID is the process ID of the Workbench session. To identify

the log file of the most recent session, it is most convenient to sort the
directory by date. The log file contains information that is useful to
technical support whenever an error is encountered. Other applications
may continue to write log files to their own directories, even if launched
from Workbench.
Workbench Log Files Selects the directory where log files are written.
Directory
On Windows, the directory preference defaults to %TEMP%\Workbench-
Logs.
On Linux, the directory preference defaults to the following, in order:
1. $TEMP/WorkbenchLogs
2. $TMP/WorkbenchLogs
3. $HOME/.ansys/WorkbenchLogs
The log file directory preference takes effect immediately when the
Options dialog is closed.
Days to Keep Workbench Sets the number of days to keep log files. The default is 7.
Log File
Project Reporting
From Tools → Options → Project Reporting, you can set if exported reports automatically open in a
browser (p. 226) when they are generated.
Solution Process
From Tools → Options → Solution Process, you can specify the defaults for many of the solution
process properties of Solution cells. For projects with parametric design points, these settings also
Solution Process
control the defaults for the design point update process setting for the Parameter Set bar. For more
information on using these properties to submit a job to Remote Solve Manager (RSM), see Submitting
Solutions to Remote Solve Manager (p. 275).
Default Update Option Sets how the solution is run by default. Select from the following:
• Run in Foreground: The solution runs within the current Workbench session.
• Run in Background: The solution runs in the background on the local

machine. This option is available only for Solution cells that support
background execution.
• Submit to Remote Solve Manager: The solution runs in the background

either on the local computer or, if Remote Solve Manager is configured, on
one or more remote computers. If you submit to RSM, the solution continues
to run even if you close the current Workbench session.
If you have not defined configurations in RSM, or obtained configurations

from your RSM administrator, see RSM Configuration in the Remote Solve
Default Design Point Specifies the starting condition of each design point for design point updates.
Update Order By default, when each design point is updated, the design point is initialized
with the data of the design point designated as Current (except for retained
design points with valid retained data, which do not require initialization
data). However, in some cases it may be more efficient to update each design
point starting from the data of the previously updated design point, rather
than restarting from Current each time.
• Update From Current: Causes each design point to be initialized from the
Current design point. This is the default value.
• Update Design Points in Order: Causes each design point to be initialized

from the previous design point.
If you selected One Job for Each Design Point in the Default Job
Submission field, the Default Design Point Update Order is applicable
only if you also selected Geometry in the Pre-RSM Foreground Update
field.
This setting takes effect the next time you create a new project. See
Changing the Design Point Update Order (p. 260) for more information.
Show Advanced Solver When selected, enables the Interconnect and MPI Type parallel run settings
Options available for Fluent RSM runs. These settings require that the remote compute
servers can accept the Interconnect and MPI Type that you specify;
compatibility is not checked automatically.
Retained Design Point Specifies how an update is performed for retained design points. Select one
of the following options:
• Update parameters: Only parameters are updated for retained design

points. If a component is not needed to get the value of an output
parameter, it is not updated. This is the default value.
• Update full project: Full project is updated for retained design points. Use
this setting if you want to generate reports, or other content, from
components that do not produce output parameters.
Default RSM Queue Sets the RSM queue that is selected by default when you select the Submit
to Remote Solve Manager update option. The list of available queues
depends on the configurations that are available in the RSM configuration
directory. See Sharing and Accessing RSM Configurations in the Remote Solve
Default Job Name Sets the default name that appears in the Job Name field. The name must
start with an alphanumeric character, must not contain spaces or the
characters ! @ $ * ? \ and must not be longer than 15 characters.
Download Progress When selected, enables the solver monitor to periodically query RSM for
Information by Default output files in order to display progress (where applicable).
Default Progress Specifies the time interval, in seconds, between solver queries to RSM in
Download Interval order to display progress. The default is 30. Setting this value to zero (0)
(Seconds) results in continuous queries; that is, as soon as files are downloaded from
the compute server, Workbench immediately queries again. This option is
available for CFX systems only.
Default Execution Mode Specifies if you want the solution to run in serial or parallel mode. The default
is Serial. The parallel option is available only if the selected solver supports
parallel execution mode.
Default Number of Specifies the default number of processes to use if you choose to run in
Processes parallel mode. Must be set to 2 or greater.
Pre-RSM Foreground Specifies how geometry is handled before submitting project updates to
Update RSM. Select one of the following options:
• None: Submits project updates to RSM without updating the geometry

locally.
• Geometry: Updates your geometry locally before submitting project updates

to RSM.
Default Job Submission Determines how design point updates are handled if submitted to RSM.
Select one of the following options:
• One Job for All Design Points: All design points are submitted as a single
job to RSM.
• One Job for Each Design Point: Each design point is submitted as a separate
job to RSM (simultaneous parallel updates).
• Specify Number of Jobs: Design points are divided into groups and
submitted in multiple jobs, up to the specified maximum number of jobs.
If you select this option, the Number of Jobs property is enabled, allowing
you to specify the maximum number of jobs that can be created.
Number of Jobs Specifies the maximum number of jobs that can be created when submitting
design points in multiple jobs.
Mechanical APDL
Extensions
From Tools → Options → Extensions, you can configure settings for ANSYS ACT extensions.
For more details on these options, see Extension Configuration in the ACT Developer's Guide.
Additional Extension Folders Defines the additional folders where ACT searches for the extensions that
the Extension Manager displays. You can define several folder names,
separating them with a semicolon (;).
Save Binary Extensions with Specifies whether to save binary extensions within the project when the
Project project is saved.
Debug Mode When selected, enables debug mode for IronPython scripts of loaded
extensions.
Mechanical APDL
From Tools → Options → Mechanical APDL, you can specify the following.
For more details on these options, see The File Management Tab in the Operations Guide.
Command Line Options Sets the startup command line options.
Database Memory (MB) Specifies the portion (in megabytes) of total memory that the database
uses for the initial allocation. The default is 1024.
Workspace Memory (MB) Specifies the initial allocation of memory (in megabytes) requested for the
Mechanical APDL run. The default is 2048.
Processors Sets the number of processors used for parallel processing.
Job Name Defines the base filename used for all files generated by the Mechanical
APDL session. The default is file. You can change it to any alphanumeric
string up to 32 characters long.
License Sets the default license level.
Graphics Device Sets the graphics device. The user interface requires a terminal that supports
graphics.
Distributed When selected, activates distributed computing settings.
Machine List Specifies machine information for distributed computing.
GPU Accelerator Provides access to the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) acceleration capability
offered in the Project Schematic and inside Mechanical APDL. Three options
are available, None, NVIDIA and Intel. The default is None.
Selecting this option from Options → Mechanical APDL applies the

setting to all newly added systems in the Project Schematic. You can
override these settings by changing the GPU Accelerator selection on
individual systems by right-clicking Analysis and editing the properties.
Number of GPUs per Specifies the number of GPUs each machine has. The default is 1.
Machine
Read START.ANS When selected, reads the start.ans file at start-up.
Custom Executable Path Sets a custom Mechanical APDL executable to start in the launcher.
Download Distributed Files When selected, downloads all distributed files.
CFX
From Tools → Options → CFX, you can specify the following.
For more details on these options, see Properties Pane in the CFX Introduction.
Keep Latest Solution Data When selected, deletes any associated old solution data automatically
Only after updating the Solution cell.
Cache Solution Data When selected, retains cached solution data for non-current design
points (in addition to the current design point) after they are solved.
Initialization Option Sets how data is gathered to initialize the solution.
Execution Control Conflict Sets the option used to resolve execution control conflicts.
Option
For more information, see Troubleshooting in the CFX Introduction.
Design Exploration
From Tools → Options → Design Exploration, you can specify the following.
Show Advanced Options When selected, displays advanced properties (in italics) for certain
DesignXplorer objects in the Properties pane.
Preserve Design Points after When selected, saves design points created for a design exploration cell to
DX Run the project’s design points table once the solution completes. Also enables
the Retain Data for Each Preserved Design Point check box.
Retain Data for Each When selected, retains data for each design point saved in the project’s
Preserved Design Point design point table.
Retry All Failed Design When selected, enables additional attempts to solve design points that
Points failed to update during the first run. Also enables Number of Retries and
Retry Delay (seconds).
Number of Retries Sets the number of times to try to update failed design points. The default
is 5.
Retry Delay (seconds) Sets the number of seconds to elapse between tries. The default is 120.
Chart Resolution Sets the number of points for a continuous input parameter axis in a 2D
or 3D Response Surface chart. The range is from 2 to 100. The default is
25. Increasing the number of points enhances the chart resolution.
Significance Level Sets the relative importance or significance to assume for input variables.
The allowable range is from 0.0 to 1.0, where 0 means that all input
Repository
variables are assumed to be insignificant and 1.0 means that all input
variables are assumed to be significant. The default is 0.025.
Correlation Coefficient Sets the calculation method for determining sensitivity correlation
Calculation Type coefficients. The default is Rank Order (Spearman).
Display Parameter Full When selected, displays full parameter names rather than short parameter
Name names.
Parameter Naming Sets the naming style for input parameters within design exploration. The
Convention default is Uncertainty Management Style.
Confirm if Min-Max Search When selected, displays an alert before performing a Min-Max search
can take a long time operation when there are discrete input parameters to warn that the search
could be time-consuming.
Note:
If you expand Design Exploration in the tree, you will see three child tabs: Design of
Experiments, Response Surface, and Sampling and Optimization. For more information
about the options on all four DesignXplorer tabs, see Design Exploration Options in the
DesignXplorer User's Guide.
Distributed Compute Services

From Tools → Options → Distributed Compute Services, you can specify the following.
Server URL Sets the URL for starting the DC server. The default for starting a local server
is https:/localhost/dcs. The format of a URL for starting a remote
server is https://hostname:port/dcs or https://IPad-
dress:port/dcs.
Auto-Start Local Evaluator When selected, automatically starts an evaluator on the local machine when
design point updates are requested. This check box is selected by default.
If you clear this check box, you can start the evaluator on the local machine
by going to the Windows Start menu and selecting DC Evaluator. You can
also start it from the command line by typing dclauncher.exe start
evaluator.
Repository
From Tools → Options → Repository, you can specify the following settings for managing simulation
data in an ANSYS Engineering Knowledge Manager (EKM) repository.
Check for update upon Specifies whether Workbench, upon opening a project that is saved to
opening a repository project an EKM repository, checks for changes to the project.
Check for update of imported Specifies whether Workbench upon opening a project containing files
repository files upon opening that are saved to an EKM repository, checks for changes to the files.
a project
Send project changes to Specifies whether Workbench, upon closing a project that is saved to an
repository upon closing a EKM repository, sends project changes to the repository.
project
Note:
If you select Always Ask for any of these settings, in future interactions with an EKM repos-
itory a message dialog box gives you the option of Save my choice and don't ask this
question again. That change is saved to these settings.
Fluent
From Tools → Options → Fluent, you can specify the following.
General options apply to all Fluent-based systems in the Workbench project, regardless of whether the
system was created before, or after, the option is enabled. Note that these options are not saved with
the project, and the settings are always applied to the currently loaded project.
Default options for new Fluent system apply to all newly created Fluent-based systems in the Workbench
project. They can be overridden by editing the properties specified for the Setup and Solution cell.
The settings specified in the Setup and Solution cell properties are always respected and saved with
the Workbench project. Therefore, for previously saved projects, these saved settings are used.
General Options
Show Warning on Editing When selected, displays a warning message when solution data exists and
Setup if Solution Has you attempt to open Fluent from the Setup cell.
Current or Initial Data
When you open Fluent from the Setup cell, the mesh and settings file
associated with the Setup cell are loaded into Fluent which may or
may not be what you want.
The check box is selected by default.

Automatically Delete Old When selected, old solution data is automatically removed when starting
Solutions On Start Of New a new computation.
Calculation
Reuse Fluent Session for When selected, reuses the Fluent session for other design point calculations.
Design Points This option works with foreground parametric updates only.
The check box is cleared by default.

Default Options for New Fluent System
Show Launcher at Startup When selected, displays the Fluent Launcher when Fluent starts.
Fluent
Display Mesh After Reading When selected, displays the mesh after the mesh or case/data is read into
Fluent.

Embed Graphics Windows When selected, embeds the graphics windows in the Fluent application
window.
When cleared, unlocks the graphics windows so they are free-standing.

Use Workbench Color When selected, sets the graphics window to the Workbench color scheme.
Scheme
When cleared, sets the graphic window to the classic black background
color.

Set up Compilation When selected, allows you to specify compiler settings for compiling
Environment for UDF user-defined functions (UDFs) with Fluent.

Precision Sets either the single-precision or the double-precision solver.
Enable Generation of Setup When selected, bypasses loading the mesh and setting files and reapplying
Output Case File the pre-set mesh operations every time the Setup cell is edited, resulting
in faster runs.
This option is especially beneficial when computing simulations across

multiple design points involving Fluent-related parametric changes.
The Fluent solver automatically generates the output case file,
name-Setup-Output.cas, every time you modify the mesh, set
mesh operations prior to running the simulation in Fluent, or start a
Fluent session with a mesh file only.
The generated output case file is used when launching the next Fluent
session from the Setup cell if the regular case file is out-of-date or not
available.

Enable Solution Monitoring When selected, allows you to be graphically view Fluent solution
convergence and monitor data without having Fluent open.
Once this option is enabled, you can use the Show Solution
Monitoring option in the Solution cell context menu to display
convergence and monitor charts.
This check box is selected by default.

Enable Generation of When selected, Instructs the Fluent solver to automatically generate an
Interpolation File interpolation file, *.ip, at the end of the run. Unlike the *.dat file, the
*.ip file can be used to restart the Fluent session, even if the mesh has
been modified
Mechanical
From Tools → Options → Mechanical, you can specify the following.
Auto Detect Contact On When selected, enables computed contact detection when geometry is
Attach imported into Mechanical.
This check box is enabled by default.

Save Mesh Data In When selected, enables the default setting for the Save Mesh Data In
Separate File Separate File property in Mechanical systems (such as Static Structural) for
subsequently created Mechanical systems. The property setting controls
whether mesh data is stored in a separate .acmo file for the current system.
Saving the mesh data in a separate file reduces the overall file space
required and reduces the possibility of disc corruption in very large
database files on Linux systems.
Release License for Specifies when the Mechanical application releases its license when running
Pending Jobs in batch mode:
• On Demand: When the Solution cell for a Mechanical system is in the

pending state during a batch run, the right-click menu has a Release Li-
cense option. This closes the Mechanical application but does not interfere
with the completion of the run. (Default)
• Always: Causes the Mechanical application to automatically close and

release its license during batch runs when the Solution cell is in the pending
state.
• Design Point Run Only: Causes the Mechanical application to automatically

close and release its license during Update All Design Points runs when
the Solution cell is in the pending state.
Maximize Design Point When selected, causes Mechanical not to copy design point results data
Performance when parameters are changed in Mechanical simulations, as the design
points are re-evaluated in those cases.
Note that no working directory files (such as macros) are copied, so to

use this setting you must move any files that you have put into the
working directory (the solver files directory) to the user_files
directory.
During a design point When selected, directs the Mechanical application to automatically restart
update, periodically restart after the specified number of design points when running in batch mode.
the Mechanical application
Each restart resets the Mechanical application and slightly lengthens
the processing time, but can improve overall system performance
(memory and CPU) when the generation steps of each design point
Meshing
(geometry, mesh, solve, post processing) are long. In such cases, specify
a low number of design points before restarts.
In cases where the generation steps for each design point are short,
reduce processing time by increasing the number of design points
before restarts or prevent restarts completely by disabling this
preference.
Number of design points Sets the number of design points to update when the During a design
to update before restarting point update, periodically restart the Mechanical application check box
the Mechanical application is selected. The default is 1.
Limit Number of Cores for When selected, sets the number of cores used by the data transfer mapping,
Data Mapping and interpolation operations and result post-processing to a user-specified value.
Post-Processing
Maximum number of cores Sets the maximum number of cores used when the Limit Number of Cores
for Data Mapping and Post-Processing check box is selected. The default
is 2.
Meshing
From Tools → Options → Meshing, you can specify the following.
Auto Detect Contact On When selected, enables contact detection computing when geometry is
Attach imported into Meshing.
This check box is selected by default.

Save Mesh Data In When selected, enables the default setting for the Save Mesh Data In
Separate File Separate File property in Mechanical systems (such as Static Structural) for
subsequently created Mechanical systems. The property setting controls
whether mesh data is stored in a separate .acmo file for the current system.
Saving the mesh data in a separate file reduces the overall file space
required and reduces the possibility of disc corruption in very large
database files on Linux systems.
During a design point When selected, directs the Meshing application to automatically restart after
update, periodically restart the specified number of design points when running in batch mode.
the Meshing application
Each restart resets the Meshing application and slightly lengthens the
processing time, but can improve overall system performance (memory
and CPU) when the meshing of each design point is long. In such cases,
specify a low number of design points before restarts.
In cases where the meshing step for each design point are short, reduce
processing time by increasing the number of design points before
restarts or prevent restarts completely by disabling this preference.
Number of design points Sets the number of design points to update when the During a design
to update before restarting point update, periodically restart the Meshing application check box is
the Meshing application selected. The default is 1.
Engineering Data
From Tools → Options → Engineering Data, you can specify the following.
Filter toolbox content for When selected, filters Toolbox content based on your selection in the
selection Properties pane.
Unset the default material When selected, clears the default material used when materials are
when materials are imported imported with geometry attached.
with geometry.
Consolidate materials on When selected, consolidates the material information when it is imported
import into Workbench.

From Tools → Options → Microsoft Office Excel Options, you can specify the following for the Microsoft
Office Excel add-in.
Named Ranges Filtering Sets a prefix to filter which Excel named ranges are exposed as parameters
Prefix in a Workbench project.
All named ranges defined in the Excel file that include that prefix are
displayed as parameters in the project. By default, this setting is blank
(no filter).
If you specify a prefix, the prefix is used to filter the named ranges for
all new design exploration systems. For example, if you set this option
to WB, the Named Range Key property (in the Setup section of the
Properties pane of the Microsoft Office Excel Analysis system) is set to
WB for all new projects you create.
If you have specified a different filtering prefix the project level in the
Named Range Key property, the project-level setting is not affected by
changes to this option.
TurboSystem
From Tools → Options → TurboSystem, you can specify the following.
Include inlet/outlet domains When selected, causes subsequently created Turbo Mesh cells to have
in Turbo Mesh cells by the Meshing → Inlet Domain and Meshing → Outlet Domain properties
default initially selected.
Geometry Import
From Tools → Options → Geometry Import → Geometry Import, you can specify the following.
Geometry Import
Preferred Geometry Editor Sets the geometry editor. You can select from DesignModeler or SpaceClaim
Direct Modeler (default).
Note:
The SpaceClaim Direct Modeler option is not available when

the Use SpaceClaim Direct Modeler as an External CAD
option is enabled.
CAD Licensing Sets how the CAD license is kept or released.
• Hold: Instructs Workbench to keep the license after the import or refresh
operation has completed. The option is useful when executing design
studies.
If the Hold option was previously set and subsequently changed to

Release, the license is released immediately after clicking OK in the
Options dialog box. A plug-in license that is held is always released
when exiting the Workbench session.
• Release (default): Instructs Workbench to free the license for someone

else's use after the import or refresh operation has completed.
Note:
The CAD Licensing option is not supported for geometry

import into SpaceClaim Direct Modeler. Regardless of the
setting of CAD Licensing, SpaceClaim Direct Modeler always
releases its CAD licenses after importing.
Use SpaceClaim Direct When selected, SpaceClaim is controlled as an external CAD system, with
Modeler as an External no direct integration into the Project Schematic.
CAD
When cleared, SpaceClaim is fully integrated into the Project Schematic
as a geometry editor.
Note:
• Switching this preference from within an active project could

result in project schematic inconsistencies and undesired
behavior. We recommend that you set this preference during
project creation and ensure that all users interacting with the
project do not change it.
• If the preference must be changed, the Geometry systems that

reference SpaceClaim geometry should be Reset and
reconfigured to properly release any previously stored

parameters and file references.
• You cannot use SpaceClaim with meshing tools enabled as an

external CAD system. If the meshing options are enabled and
this preference is selected, the following error message is
displayed when you connect to a downstream system:
Can not use SpaceClaim w/Meshing as an

external CAD system. Please change your
settings.
Use Workbench Project When selected, SpaceClaim Direct Modeler adopts the units of the Workbench
Units for Length and project when it is launched from Workbench.
Angle
Use Workbench Language When selected, SpaceClaim Direct Modeler adopts the language used by
Settings Workbench when it is launched from Workbench Project Schematic.
Geometry editor behavior Controls the visibility of the geometry editor during a design point update.
during update
• Default: The update is run in batch mode. If the geometry editor was open
prior to the update, it is reopened at the completion of the update.
• Run interactively: Forces the geometry editor to be run interactively for

the entire update. If the geometry editor was open prior to the update, it
is reopened at the completion of the update.
• Run in batch mode: Forces the geometry editor to be run in batch mode
for the entire update. The geometry editor is left closed at the completion
of the update.
Keep the geometry editor When selected, directs the geometry editor to stay open (in batch or
running for optimized interactively based on the setting of Geometry editor behavior during
design point updates update) and use the same session during a design point update. Allows for
quicker processing time as the geometry editor is not restarted after each
design point.
Periodically restart the When selected, directs the geometry editor to automatically restart after the
geometry editor specified number of design points (as specified by the setting of Number
of design points to update before restarting the geometry editor).
Number of design points Sets the number of design points that are updated before the geometry
to update before editor is restarted. The default is 0, which executes the same as if this
restarting the geometry preference were disabled.
editor
Each restart resets the geometry editor and slightly lengthens processing
time, but can improve overall system performance (memory and CPU)
when the time needed for the geometry update of each design point
is long. In such cases, specify a low number (1 or more) of design points
before each restart. In cases where the time needed for the geometry
update of each design point is short, reduce processing time by
Geometry Import
increasing the number of design points before each restart, or prevent
restarts completely by disabling this preference.
Basic options For detailed descriptions of the basic geometry import options, see the Basic
Geometry Options table in Geometry Preferences.
Advanced options For detailed descriptions of the advanced geometry import options, see the
Advanced Geometry Options table in Geometry Preferences.
Workbench Interface Reference
The following user interface components are discussed in detail:
Tabs in Workbench
Panes within Tabs
Cells in Workbench
Menus in Workbench
Tabs in Workbench
Tabs are workspaces that allow you to interact with different parts of your project. Most cells of a system
open in separate windows outside of the Workbench application; the following is a list of tabs for systems
and cells that open within Workbench.
• 3D ROM
• Analysis (p. 164) (Mechanical APDL)
• Analysis (p. 178) (Microsoft Office Excel)
• System Coupling (p. 186)
• Design of Experiments
• Engineering Data
• External Data (p. 91)
• External Model (p. 111)
• Parameter Set (p. 249)
• Project (p. 35)
Panes within Tabs

Workbench provides the following categories of panes.
Common Panes
Common panes are ones that are included on multiple tabs, but are configured per tab. changes to the
pane on one tab are not reflected on other tabs of the same sort, the pane contains different data on
each tab.
The following common panes are available:
• Toolbox Pane (p. 359)
• Toolbox Customization Pane (p. 361)
• Files Pane (p. 361)
• Outline Pane (p. 362)
• Properties Pane (p. 362)
• Table Pane (p. 363)
• Chart Pane (p. 363)
• Scene Pane (p. 364)
• Solution Information Pane (p. 364)
Persistent Panes
Persistent panes remain configured as you have specified when you navigate between tabs. For example,
if you display a persistent pane in one tab, then switch to a different one, the persistent pane remains
visible in the second tab.
The following persistent panes are available:
• Messages Pane (p. 364)
• Progress Pane (p. 365)
• Sidebar Help (p. 365)
Project Schematic Pane

Located in the Project tab, the Project Schematic pane is the main workspace for your project.
Panes within Tabs
Opening the Properties pane allows you to manage the following properties for the Project
Schematic pane.
Notes Displays all project notes (p. 202) created.
Update Specifies whether the Update Project action runs the update in the foreground (p. 192)
Option (in the current Workbench session) or submits the update to Remote Solve
Manager (p. 275).
Toolbox Pane
Located in the Project tab, the Toolbox pane contains the types of data you can add to your project.
To add data, you take the systems located in the Toolbox pane and add them to the Project
Schematic pane.
Systems are divided into categories which can be expanded or collapsed to show or hide the systems
in that category. You can select systems from the following categories:
• Analysis Systems (p. 62)
• Component Systems (p. 86)
• Custom Systems (p. 189)
• Design Exploration (p. 191)
The contents of each category are determined by which products you have installed and what licenses
are available. If you do not have a particular product installed or do not have an available license,
the individual systems corresponding to that product are not shown in the Toolbox.
For detailed information on system categories and individual systems, see Working Through a Sys-
tem (p. 55).
Panes within Tabs
Additionally, you can customize the Toolbox further, specifying that only some of the available systems
are visible. For customization details, see Configuring the Toolbox (p. 11).
The Toolbox pane persists across tabs. It contains systems on the Project tab, but on other tabs it
contains other sorts of information, such as charts, and engineering materials.
Toolbox Customization Pane

The Toolbox Customization pane enables you to specify which systems display in the Toolbox. For
more information, see Configuring the Toolbox (p. 11).
Files Pane
The Files pane shows a list of all files associated with, and added to, the project. It enables you to
see the name and type of file, the IDs of the cells the file is associated with, the size of the file, the
location of the file, and other information.
For more information on how to manage and work with the files shown in the pane, see Working in
the Files Pane (p. 233).
Outline Pane
When data is available for an item, the Outline pane presents data in a summary form. You can access
the Outline pane in the Project tab, the Parameter Set tab, the Parameters tab, or the tab for any
cell in a Design Exploration or Engineering Data system.
To open the Outline pane, double-click the Parameter Set bar or a system cell. Or, right-click the
cell and select Edit from the context menu.
Examples of the Outline pane include the Outline of All Parameters in the Parameter Set tab and
the Outline of Schematic in an application tab.
For information about using the Outline pane for parameters and design points, see Working with
Parameters and Design Points (p. 241).
Properties Pane
The Properties pane enables you to see properties for the Project Schematic, systems, cells, and
schematic links.
The specific items shown in the Properties pane varies according to what you have selected.
Panes within Tabs
In some cases, it displays basic information about the component that cannot be modified from the
Properties pane. For example, if you choose to view properties on a link between systems, a list of
uneditable connection properties (for example, type and from/to cell identifiers) is displayed.
In other cases, the Properties pane displays detailed information that can be edited. For example, if
you choose either Edit or Properties from the Vista TF Setup cell, a fully-editable list of properties
is displayed.
If more information on a specific Properties pane is available, you can view the quick help for the
cell for which you are viewing properties.
Table Pane
When the Table pane is included in a tab, it allows you to view project data in table format. Examples
of the Table pane are the Table of Design Points in the Parameter Set tab and the Table of
Properties in an Engineering Data tab.
Some tables are editable and some are not. In general, if you can add a new row, you an asterisk is
displayed (*) in the last row. If a cell is editable, you can double-click in the cell to select the content
and change it. In some tables, columns may include a drop-down menu of additional actions that
are available for that column. Tables for different applications and different purposes have different
features and behavior. See the documentation for the specific application for details on using tables.
Chart Pane
When the Chart pane is included on a tab, it enables you to view charts that have been added and
generated for the project. Each type of tab has different charts available. For example, the Parameter
Set tab has a different set of charts than the DesignXplorer Parameters Correlation tab has.
For more information about using charts, see Working with the Chart Pane (p. 215).
Scene Pane
The Scene pane is available in the Fluent interface. To activate the Scene pane, enable Show Solution
Monitoring from Fluent (right-click the Solution cell of a Fluent system to open the Fluent Solution
Monitor). For more information, see Monitoring Fluent Solutions in Workbench in the Fluent in
Workbench User's Guide.
Solution Information Pane

The Solution Information pane is available in the System Coupling or Fluent system’s interface. For
more information, see System Coupling User's Guide or Fluent in Workbench User's Guide.
Messages Pane
The Messages pane displays any messages you have, such as error and warning messages, solver
messages, status messages, and so on.
During any update (cell, system, project, design point, multiple design point), any messages that are
generated are displayed in the Messages pane. The Messages pane opens automatically if an error
message occurs during an update, but in other situations you must open it manually.
You can display or hide the Messages pane by clicking Show Messages or Hide Messages in the
lower right corner of any Workbench tab.
Cells in Workbench
Progress Pane
The Progress pane displays a progress bar during an update. You can display or hide the Progress
pane by clicking Show Progress or Hide Progress in the lower right corner of the window. You can
also interrupt an update process (p. 206).
Sidebar Help
The Sidebar Help pane displays context sensitive help text and links. For more information on using
this pane, see Using Help (p. 7).
Cells in Workbench
The systems that you add to the Project Schematic are made up of one or more cells.
Related topics:
Types of Cells
Understanding Cell States
Cell Properties
Types of Cells
The following common types of cells occur in many of the analysis and component systems available
in Workbench; Other cell types may be available in certain systems; see the application-specific doc-
umentation in Working Through a System (p. 55) for these cell descriptions.
Engineering Data
Use the Engineering Data cell with Mechanical systems or the Engineering Data component sys-
tem (p. 90) to define or access material models for use in an analysis. To define material data, open
the Engineering Data tab by either double-clicking the Engineering Data cell or right-clicking the
cell and selecting Edit from the context menu. For more information, see Overview in the Engineering
Data User's Guide.
Geometry
Use the Geometry cell to import, create, edit or update the geometry model used for analysis. Right-
click the cell to access these functions in the context menu. The right-click options are context sens-
itive and change as the state of your geometry changes, so not all of the options are available at all
times.
Note:
The SpaceClaim Direct Modeler features are available only if you have SpaceClaim Direct
Modeler installed and the ANSYS SpaceClaim Direct Modeler license available.
Model/Mesh
The Model cell in the Mechanical application analysis systems or the Mechanical Model component
system is associated with the Model branch in the Mechanical application and affects the definition
of the geometry, coordinate systems, connections and mesh branches of the model definition.
When linking two systems, you cannot create a share between the Model cells of two established
systems. You can generate a second system that is linked at the Model cell of the first system, but
you cannot add a share after the second system has been created. Likewise, you cannot delete a link
between the Model cells of two systems.
The Mesh cell in Fluid Flow analysis systems or the Mesh component system (p. 174) is used to create
a mesh using the Meshing application. It can also be used to import an existing mesh file.
Setup
Use the Setup cell to launch the appropriate application for that system. You define your loads,
boundary conditions, and configure your analysis in the application. The data from the application
is incorporated into the project in Workbench, including connections between systems.
Solution
From the Solution cell, you can access the Solution branch of your application, and you can share
solution data with other downstream systems (for instance, you can specify the solution from one
analysis as input conditions to another analysis). If you have an analysis running as a remote process,
the Solution cell is in a Pending (p. 367) state until the remote process completes.
Results
The Results cell indicates the availability and status of the analysis results (commonly referred to as
postprocessing). From the Results cell, you cannot share data with any other system.
Cells in Workbench
Understanding Cell States

Workbench integrates multiple applications into a single, seamless project flow, where individual cells
can obtain data from and provide data to other cells. As a result of this flow of data, a cell's state can
change in response to changes made to the project. Workbench provides visual indications of a cell's
state at any given time with icons on the right side of each cell.
Typical Cell States

State Icon Description
Unfulfilled Required upstream data does not exist. Some applications may
not allow you to open them with the cell in this state. For
example, if you have not yet assigned a geometry to a system,
all downstream cells appear as unfulfilled, because they cannot
progress until you assign a geometry.
Refresh Upstream data has changed since the last refresh or update.
Required You may or may not need to update output data. When a cell
is in this state, you can edit the cell, refresh the data, update
upstream components, or update the cell.
The advantage to refreshing rather than updating a cell is

that you are alerted to potential effects on downstream
cells and make any necessary adjustments before you
update it. This option is especially useful if you have a
complex system in which an update could take significant
time and computer resources.
Attention All of the cell's inputs are current. However, you must take a
Required corrective action to proceed. To complete the corrective action,
you may need to interact with this cell or with an upstream cell
that provides data to this cell. Cells in this state cannot be
updated until the corrective action is taken.
This state can also signify that no upstream data is

available, but you can still interact with the cell. For
instance, some applications support an "empty" mode of
operation in which it is possible to enter the application
and perform operations regardless of the consumption of
upstream data.
Update Local data has changed and the output of the cell must be
Required updated.
Up to Date An update has been performed on the cell and no failures have
occurred. It is possible to edit the cell and for the cell to provide
up-to-date generated data to other cells.
Input Changes The cell is locally up-to-date but may change when next updated
Pending as a result of changes made to upstream cells.
Solution-Specific States
The Solution or Analysis cell for certain solvers can display the following solution-specific states.

Interrupted, Indicates that you have interrupted the solution during an
Update update, leaving the cell paused in an update required state.
Required
This option performs a graceful stop of the solver, which
completes its current iteration. Although some calculations
may have been performed, output parameters are not
updated. A solution file is written containing any results
that have been calculated. The solve resumes with the next
update command.
Interrupted, Indicates that you have interrupted the solution during an
Up to Date update, leaving the cell in an up-to-date state.
This option performs a graceful stop of the solver, which

completes its current iteration. Output parameters are
updated according to the calculations performed so far, and
a solution file is written. You can use the solution for
post-processing. For example, you can look at the
intermediate result. Because the cell is already up-to-date,
it is not affected by a design point update.
To resume the solve, right-click and select Continue Calculation
Pending Signifies that a batch or asynchronous solution is in progress.
When a cell enters the pending state, you can interact with the
project to exit Workbench or work with other parts of the project.
If you make changes to the project that are upstream of the
updating cell, then the cell is not in an up-to-date state when
the solution completes.
Note:
When up-to-date cells are connected to cells in a different type of system, the state of the
up-to-date cells may change to Update Required. This behavior occurs because additional
files have to be generated to satisfy the newly added system.
For example, assume that you have built a fluid flow system (Fluid Flow (CFX)) that is up-
to-date.
Cells in Workbench
If you then connect the Mesh cell to a fluid flow system (Fluent), the mesh files for CFX
Setup are the only files that will have been generated by the update process. After con-
necting another system to the up-to-date Mesh cell, the Mesh cell transitions to the update
required state to signify that additional files must be generated for satisfy the Fluent system.
The cells already connected to the Mesh cell transition to the refresh required state after
the Mesh cell is updated. Updating the project unnecessarily re-updates the previously
up-to-date cells (CFX Setup, Solution, and Results). We recommended that you establish
the connection to the Fluent system before updating components downstream of the
Mesh in the Fluid Flow (CFX) system.
Failure States
If a particular action fails, Workbench provides a visual indication as well. You can pane any related
error messages in the Messages pane by clicking Show Messages in the lower right portion of the
window.

Refresh Failed, Refresh The last attempt to refresh cell input data failed and
Required the cell remains in a refresh required state.
Update Failed, Update The last attempt to update the cell and calculate
Required output data failed and the cell remains in an update
required state.
Update Failed, Attention The last attempt to update the cell and calculate
Required output data failed. The cell remains in an attention
required state.
Cell Properties
Every cell in Workbench has various properties associated with it. Most of these properties are specific
to the type of system, type of cell, and state of the cell, and are documented in the specific application
documentation. However, some cell properties are common across many cells, regardless of type of
system or cell state. Those properties are described here.
To pane cell properties, right-click the cell and select Properties from the context menu. The Prop-
erties pane opens, displaying all properties applicable to that cell in its current state. Both the property
name and its current value are shown. Some properties are editable, while others cannot be edited
because of the specific configuration of that project and/or cell.
Component ID Displays the directory where any information associated with this component resides.
For more information on the general Workbench directory structure, see Project
Directories (p. 237).
Notes Displays all system and cell notes (p. 202) created.
Last Update Displays the license used by this component during the most recent update. If the
Used Licenses component does not require a license during an update, the value displayed is Not
Applicable.
Always Include Specifies that a component should be included in any design point update operation,
in Design Point even if it does not have output parameters. If you enable this property for a
Update component, the component is updated when you update design points, regardless
of whether parameter values are affected.
Used for CFD-Post components.

Save Mesh Controls whether the mesh data is stored in a separate .acmo file, rather than being
Data In stored in the database file, when you save your project. Saving the mesh data in
Separate File separate file reduces the overall file space required and reduces the possibility of
disc corruption in very large database files on Linux systems.
Used by the Model cell (non-fluid flow analyses such as Static Structural) and
by the Mesh cell (Fluid Flow analyses and Mesh components).
The default setting for this field is controlled by the Save Mesh Data In Separate
File setting in the Workbench Mechanical (p. 350) or Meshing (p. 351) options.
Menus in Workbench
Menus in Workbench
The following types of menus are available in Workbench:
Menu Bar
Context Menus
Menu Bar
The menu bar gives you access to the following menus.
File Menu
New Creates a new project (p. 36).
Open Opens an existing project (p. 36).
Save Saves the current project (p. 229).
Save As Saves the current project (p. 229) under a different name and/or location.
Save to Repository Saves the current project to an EKM repository (p. 317).
Open from Opens a project saved in an EKM repository (p. 320).
Repository
Send Changes to Sends changes made to a previously saved project to the EKM repository (p. 322).
Repository
Get Changes from Retrieves changes made to a project that has been previously opened from, or
Repository saved to, the EKM repository (p. 324).
Manage Repository Opens a sub-menu containing features that monitor or change the status
Project of a project in the repository (p. 326).
The permissions you have for a project in a repository control which features
you can access.
Tip:
To view your permissions for a project in the repository,

right-click the project and select Display → Permissions from
the context menu.
Manage Connections Allows you to open, close, and delete created EKM connections (p. 315).
Launch EKM Web Opens the EKM sign-in screen to access the EKM workspace (p. 315).
Client
Import Imports a legacy database (p. 38).
Archive Generates an archive file that contains all project files (p. 230).
Scripting Opens a sub-menu containing jjournalling and scripting options (p. 211).
Export Report Writes out a report of the current project in .html/.htm format (p. 226).
Recently Viewed Files Displays the four most recently opened projects.
Exit Closes Workbench. You are prompted to save any unsaved data.
View Menu
Refresh Updates the pane.
Reset Workspace Restores the current workspace layout to its default settings.
Reset Window Restores the original window layout.
Layout
List of panes Displays the list of Workbench panes. You can select which panes you want to
display. Any changes you make to panes are carried forward to subsequent
Workbench sessions. For a detailed description of the individual panes listed
here, see Panes within Tabs (p. 358).
Show Connections Displays multiple links connecting systems as a single link where possible. A
Bundled bundled connection includes a label indicating the shared cells (for example, 2-4
indicates that cells 2, 3, and 4 are shared between systems).
Show System Shows the alphanumeric column and row headings for each system. This option
Coordinates is selected by default.
Tools Menu
Reconnect Reconnects to updates that were pending when the project was closed. This option
is available only if the project has cells in the Pending (p. 367) state. Upon opening a
project, Workbench automatically retrieves the data for any completed background
update.
After reconnecting to pending solution data, it is important to save the project.

For a Solution cell update, if you decline to save the project before exiting, the
intermediate solver data is discarded and is not accessible in future Workbench
sessions. For more information, see Exiting a Project During a Remote Solve
Manager Solution Cell Update (p. 298).
Refresh Project Refreshes all cells in the project (p. 206).
Resume Resumes design point updates that were pending when the project was closed. This
option is available only if the project has design points that are paused due to cells
in a Pending (p. 367) state.
Update All Updates all design points in a project that are in an Update Required (p. 367) state.
Design Points This option is available only when the project contains multiple design points.
Update Project Updates all cells in the project (p. 204) that are in an Update Required (p. 367) state.
Suspend Temporarily suspends or resumes the collection of design point data from Remote
Collecting RSM Solve Manager (RSM)
Results /
Resume These options are enabled when RSM is processing an Update Project or an
Collecting RSM Update All Design Points operation. For more information, see Suspending and
Results Resuming Collection of RSM Design Point Results (p. 310).
Menus in Workbench

Abandon Ignores any results calculated so far and return the project to its normal state.
Pending
Updates Use this option if you have a remote or background solve process (some
component or components in the project were saved in a Pending state) and
attempts to reconnect have failed.
If you use this option, you may need to manually remove processes that were
not stopped or files that were not removed.
License Opens the License Preferences for User dialog box, where you specify which licenses
Preferences at your site you want to be able to use and which licensing method to use. For more
information, see Configuring Software Licensing (p. 17).
Release Manually releases a reserved license if a job hangs or a reserved license is not released
Reserved normally (for example, if you delete a project that contains pending updates using
Licenses reserved licenses).
This feature is intended only as a license recovery method and should not be
used in normal operations. For more information about using reserved licenses
for a design point study, see Reserving Licenses for a Design Point Update (p. 268).
Options Defines your user preferences for Workbench. The preferences you set here are local
settings and affect only you. For descriptions, see Workbench User Preferences (p. 337).
Units Menu
Display Values as Displays the value and unit as defined in Workbench or the original source
Defined application. No conversion information is displayed.
Display Values in Converts displayed units to correspond to the selected project unit system.
Project Units
Unit Systems Opens the Unit Systems dialog box, where you can choose which unit systems
to display in the Units menu and define custom unit systems. For more
information, see Configuring Units in Workbench (p. 12).
Extensions Menu
Menu Items Description
ACT Start Page Opens the ACT Start Page, which provides you with convenient access to ACT
functionality. From this page, you can access multiple tools for both the
development and execution of extensions.
Manage Opens the Extension Manager, which enables you to specify which extensions you
Extensions want to load.
Install Extension Provides for installing a binary extension (WBEX file) into your Application
Data folder so that this extension is available in the Extension Manager.
Build Binary Opens the binary extension builder so that you can compile a binary version of
Extension an extension from the scripted version.
View ACT Console Opens the ACT Console, where you can interactively test commands during the
development or debugging of an extension.
Menu Items Description

Open App Builder Opens the ACT App Builder, where you can create ACT extensions in a visual
environment.
View Log File Opens the Extensions Log File, which provides messages generated by the
extension. If present, warnings are shown in orange text, and errors are shown in
red text.
Jobs Menu
Open Job Displays the Job Monitor dialog box, which enables you to see the status of jobs
Monitor that have been submitted to Remote Solve Manager for the current project.
For more information, see Monitoring and Controlling Remote Solve Manager
Jobs in Workbench (p. 299).
Help Menu
ANSYS Workbench Help Opens the online help (p. 9).
Show Context Help Opens the Sidebar Help (p. 8) pane.
Installation Help Opens the ANSYS, Inc. Installation Guides.
Licensing Help Opens the ANSYS, Inc. Licensing Guide.
Getting Started Opens the Sidebar Help (p. 8) pane to the Getting Started topic.
ANSYS Product Opens the ANSYS Product Improvement Program (p. 1) dialog box.
Improvement Program
About ANSYS Workbench Opens the About ANSYS Workbench dialog box containing various
product details.
Context Menus
Context menu options provide capabilities that enable you to work with your existing systems or to
add to and modify projects.
The following types of context menus are available in Workbench:
Common Context Menu Options

In addition to the menu items that are unique to each system or cell, some of the options on the
context-sensitive menu are available with most systems and cells.

Edit Opens the cell workspace tab so you can review the data and edit as needed.
Duplicate Creates a new system that is a duplicate of the selected system (p. 198).
Update Refreshes input data and generates required output data (p. 203).
Menus in Workbench

Update Upstream Updates the components upstream of the cell without updating the cell
Components itself (p. 205).
Rename Renames the system or cell.
Refresh Reads in all modified upstream data but does not necessarily regenerate the
outputs of the cell (p. 206).
Quick Help Displays a quick help panel for the cell, if available (p. 8).
Add/Edit Note Displays an editable panel where you can enter notes about a system, cell, or
project (p. 202).
Properties Displays applicable properties in the Properties pane.
Recently Used Lists all recently used files.
Clear Generated Removes or erases any data that the cell has generated or is to generate and
Data store if any such data is present (p. 207).
Reset Removes or erases both input and output data to the cell and sets the cell state
back to the default (p. 209).
Transfer Data Context Menu Options

Many cells include transfer data options in their context menu. Transfer data options are available
only from root cells. If a cell is derived from an upstream cell (for example, when two systems share
a geometry), you can transfer data only to/from the originating cell.

Transfer Data from Creates an upstream system that can provide data to the selected cell (p. 52).
New
Transfer Data to New Creates a downstream system that can accept data from the selected
cell (p. 52).
Tab Context Menu Options

When you click cells in the Project Schematic, some of them open in separate tabs. The context
menu options available depend on which tabs are open. For example, if only the Project tab is open,
no context options are available. The following context menu options are available for tabs.

Close Tab Closes the selected tab. Available for all tabs except for the Project tab.
Close Other Closes all other tabs if accessed from the Project tab. Closes all tabs except for the
Tabs one selected and the Project tab if accessed from another tab.
Available for all tabs when multiple tabs are open.

Close All Closes all tabs (including the selected tab) except for the Project tab. Available for
all tabs except for the Project tab.
System Header Context Menu Options

The following options are available from the context menu for system headers.

Refresh Refreshes all cells in the selected system (p. 206).
Update Updates all cells in the selected system, along with any cells in upstream systems
that provide data to them (p. 205).
Duplicate Duplicates all cells (p. 198). No data is shared between the two systems. Equivalent
to issuing a duplicate on the first cell of the system.
Replace with Switches the analysis or solver type for an existing system (p. 202).
Delete Deletes the system from the schematic (p. 201).
Recreate Deleted Creates new cells at the points where the previous cells were removed.
Cells
Some cells can be deleted manually (for example the Results cell in a Fluid
Flow system). in some cases, transferring data from one system replaces the
data that was previously consumed from upstream cells in the same system,
and so those upstream cells are deleted.
Rename Renames the system (p. 197).
Properties Displays system properties in the Properties pane.
project (p. 202)
Project Schematic Context Menu Options

Right-click in white space in the Project Schematic to select a context menu option for the project.
The options that are visible depend on the specific configuration of the project.

Resume Resumes design point updates that were pending when the project was closed. This
option is available only if the project has design points that are paused due to cells
in a Pending (p. 367) state.
Menus in Workbench

Refresh Project Refreshes all cells in the project (p. 206).
Reconnect Reconnects to updates that were pending when the project was closed. This option
is available only if the project has cells in the Pending (p. 367) state. Upon opening
a project, Workbench automatically retrieves the data for any completed background
update.
After reconnecting to pending solution data, it is important to save the project.

For a Solution cell update, if you decline to save the project before exiting, the
intermediate solver data is discarded and is not accessible in future Workbench
sessions. For more information, see Exiting a Project During a Remote Solve
Manager Solution Cell Update (p. 298).
Update All Updates all design points in a project (p. 260) that are in an Update Required (p. 367)
Design Points state. This option is available only when the project contains multiple design points.
Update Project Updates all cells in the project (p. 204) that are in an Update Required (p. 367) state.
Add to Custom Adds systems to custom template (p. 190).
New system Select a new type of system to add to the project (p. 46).
type...
Show Displays multiple links connecting systems as a single link where possible. A bundled
Connections connection includes a label indicating the shared cells (for example, 2-4 indicates
Bundled that cells 2, 3, and 4 are shared between systems).
Show System Shows the alphanumeric column and row headings for each system. This option is
Coordinates selected by default.
Fit Resizes the systems in the Project Schematic to better fit in the window as it is
currently sized.
project (p. 202).
Link Context Menu Options

You can right-click a link to see additional context menu options.
Menu Description
Item
Delete Deletes the selected link (p. 53).
Properties Opens the Properties pane for the link, where you can see the link type, origination cell,
and destination cell.
Note:
To properly update the state of a cell for a linked system, either open the
Mechanical application or click Update Project on the toolbar.
Geometry Context Menu Options

The following options are available from the context menu for a Geometry cell.

New Geometry (or New Launches DesignModeler or SpaceClaim Direct Modeler, where you can build
DesignModeler a new geometry.
Geometry/New
SpaceClaim Direct
Modeler Geometry)
Import Geometry Opens a dialog box where you can navigate to an existing geometry file or
select a file from the list of recently viewed files.
Edit (or Edit Geometry Opens the model in DesignModeler or SpaceClaim Direct Modeler to modify
in DesignModeler/Edit it.
Geometry in SpaceClaim
Direct Modeler)
Replace Geometry Opens a dialog box where you can navigate to an existing geometry file or
select a file from the list of recently viewed files to replace the currently
specified file.
Update from CAD Generates an existing CAD geometry using the parameter values as defined
in the CAD system.
Refresh Reads in all modified upstream data but does not regenerate the geometry.
Enabled when the Geometry cell is in the Refresh Required state.
Properties Displays a Properties pane where you can select basic and advanced
geometry properties. For property descriptions, see Geometry Preferences.
Setup Context Menu Options

The following options are available from the context menu for a Setup cell.
Menus in Workbench
Menu Description
Item
Edit Launches one of the following options:
• Mechanical application with the geometry loaded and with cells mapped to their respective
tree locations in the Mechanical application.
• CFX-Pre.
Import Imports either an existing Mechanical case file containing physics data, region, and mesh
Case information for your analysis, or an existing Fluent case file.
Solution Context Menu Options

The following options are available from the context menu for a Solution cell.

Edit Launches one of the following options:
• Mechanical application open to the solution branch.
• CFX-Pre.
• Fluent.
Delete Deletes the Solution and Results cell. This changes the system to a setup-only system,
meaning the system generates only an input file. It does not solve or post results. The
solution object and objects below it are removed from the Mechanical application tree.
Import Displays the most recent CFX-Solver results files imported (if any) and specify the
Solution CFX-Solver results file to load in the Open dialog box. When the results file is loaded,
the system displays only the Solution cell and the Results cell.
Display Opens the ANSYS CFX-Solver Manager and shows the results of the previous run.
Monitors
Import Final Selects an existing Fluent data set (for example, one solved on an external cluster) into
Data a Solution cell in a Fluent system and immediately start post-processing in CFD-Post,
without the need to run the minimum of one more solver iteration. This option becomes
available after importing case file into the Setup cell.
Glossary
analysis system A template that has all the cells required to complete an analysis for a
particular type of physics, such as static structural.
archive Save all project files and data into a single package that can be shared,
stored, and reused.
cell A part of a system that represents a discrete task in the process of com-
pleting the overall analysis. Typical cells include Engineering Data,
Geometry, Model or Mesh, Setup, Solution, and Results.
component system A system template that has the cells necessary to complete only a portion
of a complete analysis. Often these systems are task-oriented (for example,
a system to create a geometry or to produce a mesh) or are associated
with a particular application.
component update An update of a single component (or cell) within a system in an ANSYS
Workbench project. For example, an update of the Analysis cell within
a project is a component update.
A Solution cell update is the only component update currently

supported by Remote Solve Manager.
context menu A context-sensitive list of options available from a cell or other compon-
ent, accessed by a right-mouse click.
custom system A system template that has all of systems necessary to complete a coupled
analysis, such as FSI or thermal-stress.
data-integrated applica- An application that has a separate interface from the ANSYS Workbench
tion project window but that still communicates with ANSYS Workbench.
Design Exploration Systems in the Design Exploration group are used to access DesignXplorer
functionality. These systems connect to the Parameter Set bar in order
to drive parametric studies by varying project parameters.
design point A set of input parameter values and corresponding output parameter
values that make up a single solved instance of a project.
design point update An update of one or more design points in an ANSYS Workbench project.
You can update a single design point, a selected set of design points, or
all the design points in a project. During a design point update, solution
data is updated only where output parameters have been defined.
Design point updates can be submitted to Remote Solve Manager.
downstream In the Project Schematic, data flows from top-to-bottom within systems
and from left-to-right between systems. A cell is said to be downstream
if it is below a cell in the same system, or to the right of a cell in a separ-
ate system. Downstream cells use data from upstream cells as input.
links Systems in the Project Schematic that are dependent on each other in
some manner are connected with links. Links with a square terminator
Glossary
indicate that data is shared between the two cells connected by the link,
and links with a round terminator indicate that data is transferred from
the upstream to the downstream cell.
parameter A property of a model that can be varied (input parameter) or the result
of varying such a property (output parameter). Custom input or custom
output parameters can be defined by a constant value; derived parameters
are defined by an expression of other parameters (for example, "P2+3*P3").
project The project is the full collection of systems, components, data, and their
connections that you create to achieve an overall CAE goal.
Project Schematic A region of the ANSYS Workbench project window where you will con-
struct and interact with your project. Projects are represented as connec-
ted systems displayed in a flowchart form that allows engineering intent,
data relationships, and the state of the analysis project to be understood
at a glance.
project update An update of an entire Workbench project. All the systems, components,
and design points in the project are updated.
refresh An action that reads in all modified upstream data but does not neces-
sarily regenerate the outputs of the cell.
systems A collection of cells that together perform a dedicated task. Types of

systems include analysis systems, component systems, and custom sys-
tems.
Toolbox A region of the ANSYS Workbench interface, located on the left side of
the interface, from which you can choose systems or other components
to add to the project. The Toolbox is context-sensitive, meaning the op-
tions that appear will change based on what is selected elsewhere in the
interface.
update An action that updates data in a particular system or cell with any new
information that has been added to the project since the last update
and regenerates the outputs.
upstream In the Project Schematic, data flows from top-to-bottom within systems
and from left-to-right between systems. A cell is said to be upstream if
it is above a cell in the same system or to the left of a cell in a separate
system. Upstream cells provide their output data to downstream cells.

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Workbench User's Guide

ANSYS, Inc. Release 2020 R1

© 2020 ANSYS, Inc. Unauthorized use, distribution or duplication is prohibited.

U.S. Government Rights

Published in the U.S.A.

Understanding Data Flow ..................................................................................................................... 55

Performing System Coupling Simulations Using External Data ................................................. 110

Performance Map ......................................................................................................................... 183

Chart Types ........................................................................................................................................ 215

Setting a Different Design Point as Current .................................................................................... 265

Saving Projects and Files to an EKM Repository .............................................................................. 317

Understanding Cell States ............................................................................................................. 367

The ANSYS Product Improvement Program

How the Program Works

• brand and type of CPU

• number of processors available

• amount of memory available

• brand and type of graphics card

• operating system and version

• values of environment variables used by the product

Session: Characteristics of the session, such as the:

• interactive or batch setting

• total CPU time used

• product license and license settings being used

• product version and build identifiers

• command line options used

• number of processors used

• amount of memory used

• errors and warnings issued

• meshing, solving, postprocessing, etc., actions

• times the Help system is used

• times wizards are used

Model: Statistics of the model used in the simulation, such as the:

• number of material types, loading types, boundary conditions, species, etc.

• number and types of coordinate systems used

• system of units used

• dimensionality (1-D, 2-D, 3-D)

Analysis: Characteristics of the analysis, such as the:

• physics types used

• linear and nonlinear behaviors

• analysis options used

Solution: Characteristics of the solution performed, including:

• the choice of solvers and solver options

Specialty: Special options or features used, such as:

• user-provided plug-ins and routines

• coupling of analyses with other ANSYS products

Data We Do Not Collect

• names, addresses, or usernames

• file names, part names, or other user-supplied labels

Opting Out of the Program

The ANSYS, Inc., Privacy Policy

Frequently Asked Questions

2. Am I automatically enrolled in this program?

No. We do not collect any project-specific, company-specific, or model-specific information.

4. Can I stop participating even after I agree to participate?

5. Will participation in the program slow the performance of the product?

6. How frequently is data collected and sent to ANSYS servers?

7. Is this program available in all ANSYS products?

Yes. Perform the following steps on the file server:

a. Navigate to the installation directory: [Drive:]\v201\commonfiles\globalsettings