2018.3 Readme

Other reference information:

• System Requirements
• What's New in 2018.3
• Release software build number: 2716. To check this number in your copy of Netfabb, click Help > About.

Known Issues

Netfabb

• Transformations performed on CAD parts will not save when saving to CAD formats; only transformations performed on meshes are saved.
• Performing a selection of support entities while Hide support at platform is active, filtering the display of supports, will fail on integrated graphics. Instead of selecting displayed supports only, all supports within the selection frame are selected, hidden or not. Workaround: Run Netfabb on a computer with dedicated graphics hardware and make sure OpenGL is in use (transparency options are available).
• 3MF files that contain angled block supports are not imported properly into Simulation Utility. As a workaround, you can regenerate the supports in Netfabb, place the model on a machine workspace, and use the Simulate Process functionality.
• You cannot pause or cancel the progress when using the Advanced Remesh functionality.
• When you open a project and choose "No" when prompted to separate multiple solids, you will receive a warning message after using the Simulate Process functionality. As a workaround, choose "Yes" when prompted to separate multiple solids.
• When exporting to Simulation Utility, ensure the Unify support volumes for simulation check box is enabled to prevent very slow export times.

Simulation Utility

• Importing STL files into Simulation Utility on a Windows 7 Remote Desktop produces a crash. As a workaround, you can launch Simulation Utility from a command line with the following command: tscon 1 /dest:console start "appname.exe modelfile.stl" where modelfile.stl is the name of the file to be imported. If this does not work, a more extensive procedure is as follows:

  Determine your remote desktop session ID

  1. At the Command prompt, type query session and press Enter.
     
  2. Find the ID number in the rdp-tcp row (typically 1 or 2).

  Create and run a batch file

  1. In a text editor, create a two-line batch file (.bat) with the correct Session ID, Netfabb install directory, and STL file path. These elements are located as shown below:

     tscon <session ID> /dest:console 
     start "" "<Netfabb install directory>\SIM\appbase.exe" "<STL file path>" ""
     

     An example is as follows:

     tscon 1 /dest:console 
     start "" "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Netfabb Ultimate 2018.3\SIM\appbase.exe" "c:\test\1.stl" ""
     

  2. Run the batch file as an administrator.
     Note: The batch file will end by logging you out of the remote desktop connection. Log back in to see the imported STL file in Simulation Utility.
• If you close Simulation Utility after initiating a cloud solve, the cloud solve is interrupted. As a workaround, you can enter your Autodesk Account credentials and enable the Stay signed in check box. When you close Simulation Utility, you will be prompted to save your project. The next time you open Simulation Utility and open the previously saved project, you will be automatically signed in and your cloud solve will show that it is running (if not already completed). As a best practice, we recommend that you are always signed in before opening a project or importing a new model in Simulation Utility.
• Simulation Utility does not solve simulations if it encounters Unicode characters, such as Japanese or Chinese, in the path to the solver. To check this path in Simulation Utility, select Simulation menu > Settings > Solver tab and see the Executable field.
• Simulation Utility cannot work with files or directories named with Unicode characters, as used in Japanese, Chinese, or Korean languages. Avoid using such characters to name any files to be imported, such as process parameter, STL, and TIVUS files. Also avoid using such characters to name directories when saving files or projects.
• If you open a Netfabb 2017.3 project in Netfabb 2018.1 and use the Simulate Process functionality to send the model to Simulation Utility, models with open supports are suppressed in Simulation Utility. As a workaround, you can regenerate the supports in Netfabb 2018.1 and click Simulate Process to send the model to Simulation Utility.
• Simulation Utility does not work if Netfabb is installed in a folder whose name contains international characters.
• If you complete a simulation with at least one part and one support and later apply unique PRM files for the part and support using the "Unique for all parts and unique for all supports option", you will receive an error when attempting to solve again. As a workaround, you can use the "Unique for all parts and unique for all supports option" on a new simulation or use the "Per geometry" option to apply unique PRM files to the part and support.
• When examining stress results with structural plasticity on, the Index reported on the Results tab does not match the Increment number reported when you hover your cursor over the timeline. The Index begins counting at the first plasticity step, which will occur after the process simulation has concluded and the part has been allowed to return to room temperature. Refer to the analysis log files to determine the increment at which the plasticity step is applied.
• The first time you submit a simulation to be solved on the Cloud, you may receive an error about starting the simulation. This issue can appear if you have a slow network connection and the server cannot verify your user account. As a workaround, simply save the project, close Simulation Utility, reopen the project, and solve again.
• When examining results for Lack of Fusion Volume, Hotspot Volume, or Interlayer Temperature, the Index reported on the Results tab is fixed to 1. This value is also reflected in the timeline.
• When working with a part that contains "model" in the name, Simulation Utility will crash when you perform a mesh preview or a solve. The error is caused because Simulation Utility incorrectly writes multiple STL files to the *STLF keyword. As a workaround, rename the part so that it does not contain the text "model".
• Warning and error notifications are cleared from the list of toast notifications when a simulation is re-run.
• If a part level powder bed or DED model is run while a PRM generation process is in progress, critical warnings and error notifications for the PRM process are not shown. Warnings and errors for a PRM generation are available from the View Logs button within the Job Manager.
• Simulation results now include a file <projectname>_f.case that reports on recoater interference for the simulation, either 0 for none, or 1 for one or more incidents of interference.
• When a saved .tivus project is reopened after closing Simulation Utility, any heat treatment schedule input will be truncated to the first two lines. The user will have to re-enter additional lines before simulating the project again.

Local Simulation

• The first time you solve from the command line, you may receive a message saying "'pan' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file." As a workaround, edit the Path environment variable (Control Panel > System Properties > Environment Variables) to point to the bin directory of the Local Simulation installation (typically C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Netfabb Local Simulation 2018\bin).
• Local Simulation cannot work with files or directories named with Unicode characters, as used in Japanese, Chinese, or Korean languages. Avoid using such characters to name any files to be imported, such as process parameter, STL, and TIVUS files. Also avoid using such characters to name directories when saving files or projects.
• Be sure to set the netfabb_sim_vars.sh environment variable according to your system. Refer to the Shell and Intel MKL Environment Variables section of the help for details about controlling the number of threads and the memory limit per thread. If these variables are not set in accordance with your system, a segmentation fault can occur.
• Unconstrained DED toolpaths will create unconstrained floating elements and incorrect results.
• Simulation results now include a file <projectname>_f.case that reports on recoater interference for the simulation, either 0 for none, or 1 for one or more incidents of interference.

Optimization Utility

• You cannot delete a surface region on an optimized design.
• You cannot modify surface regions after exporting a BC file if the custom boundary conditions workflow is used.
• If you import a STEP file after meshing with gmsh, you may see a warning message stating that the surface's mesh is not suitable for FEA simulation because some of the polygons have an angle less than 10 degrees. If necessary, compute a more refined mesh by reducing GMSH_ELEMENT_SIZE in the preferences file.
• You may see asymmetric displacement results with symmetric loading if the mesh is unsymmetrical.
• The optimization graphs display an estimated volume. Refer to the component panel to see the actual volume of the displayed lattice mesh.
• Extra polygons may be visible when using a skin kernel with an extremely large peak value. Use a smaller peak value so that the skin thickness is less than the mesh polygon edge length.
• Dynamic FEA analyses are not supported in v4.3. Only linear static analyses are supported.
• If you receive a singularity error with Nastran, it can indicate an invalid FEA model. When simulating a component with a lattice, this error normally indicates the presence of short beams connecting to a skin or solid element. It could also indicate multiple lattice groups. Try to create a coarser lattice or apply an offset to remove short beams. If multiple lattice groups are present, connect all groups to each other using a skin.
• If the lattice of a component is rendered in thin blue lines it indicates your lattice is not suitable for creation. The angles between beams are too narrow or there are too many beams in the component. Modify the size of the unit cell of your lattice and avoid very high aspect ratios of the unit cell.
• When the Keep Best Solution option is used, the data reported in the properties panel persists from the most recent iteration.
• If the location of a part is very far from the origin (many thousands of times the size of the unit cell), the lattice generated in the part might be trimmed at the wrong locations. As a workaround, try exporting the part to Netfabb, moving it to the origin, and exporting it to Optimization Utility again. The lattice should be generated correctly now.
• Optimization Utility does not work if Netfabb is installed in a folder whose name contains international characters

PowerShape Utility Utility

If COM registration of the Autodesk Manufacturing Data Exchange Utility fails during installation of Netfabb, you will receive an error when attempting to import certain file types into PowerShape Utility that are handled by the Manufacturing Data Exchange Utility. As a workaround, you can run the COM registration as an administrator from the Start Menu (Start > All Programs > Autodesk Manufacturing Data Exchange Utility 2018 > COM Register Autodesk Manufacturing Data Exchange Utility 2018)