Nastran Quick Start Guide

Follow the steps below to run an analysis with Helius PFA using MSC Nastran.

1. Create a material using Composite Material Manager.

   A Helius PFA-compatible material cannot be created using a pre-processor for MSC Nastran or using an MSC Nastran command inside a bulk data file. A Helius PFA material can only be created using Composite Material Manager. The material file must be saved in the Helius PFA material library. By default, materials are saved to a specific materials directory in your home directory:

   %APPDATA%\Autodesk\Helius PFA 2016\Materials

   where %APPDATA% is the value of the environment variable named APPDATA.

   For additional information, refer to the Composite Material Manager User's Guide.

2. Create a finite element model in Patran or other general pre-processor.

   After a model is created using Patran or another general pre-processor, the MSC Nastran bulk data file must be modified to facilitate an analysis with Helius PFA.

   For additional information, refer to the User's Guide for MSC Nastran.

3. Submit the model to the SOL 400 solver.

   You must submit a job with Helius PFA through a command prompt.

   For convenience, a batch file (msc-helius.bat) is installed as part of the Helius PFA package. This file expedites the analysis submission procedure. The batch file is installed in the Helius PFA bin directory. Access to this batch file is made simple by opening the Autodesk Helius PFA 2016 Command Shell via the desktop or Start menu shortcut.

   For information regarding use of the Command Shell, refer to the User's Guide for MSC Nastran.