Edit Solver Specific Data (Template Data)

Every entity is assigned solver specific data, which you can modify using the Entity Editor.

Assign a Card Image

In the Entity Editor, you can assign a card image to an entity. The card images you are able to assign depend on the entity type you have selected in the browser.

  1. Click Card Image.
  2. Select a new card image from the drop-down list.
    The entity's card image changes, and the Entity Editor displays additional solver related fields.

Import and Export Data

Import and export functions will read .csv files and populate tables for all entities that use 1D array data.
Right-click on a field that uses 1D array data as input and select one of the following options from the context menu:
  • Import from file
  • Append from file
  • Export to file
Data will be imported into, or exported out of, the Entity Editor based on your selection.
Restriction: Certain control cards make use of unstructured tables. In these cases, array attributes are shown as new categories/columns and data cannot be imported/exported.


Figure 1.

Turn Fields ON or OFF

  • Turn fields on and off in the Entity Editor.
    Option Description
    Turn field off Remove its corresponding value or select OFF from the drop-down list.

    If you hover over a field that is turned OFF, its default value will appear in the Value column.
    Turn field on Enter a new value or select a value from the drop-down list.

    When a field is turned ON, its corresponding value will always be displayed in the Value column.
    In the example below, assume that initially the field ISOP is turned OFF and has a default value of FULL. To turn the field ON, click its corresponding Value field and select a value from the drop-down list. If you want to turn the field OFF, select <OFF> from the drop-down list.


    Figure 2. ISOP Field Off


    Figure 3. ISOP Field On
    In the example below, assume that initially the field G is turned OFF and has a default value of 80769.2. To turn the field ON, click the Value field and press Enter. To turn the field OFF, delete the value and press Enter. If you turn the field OFF, the Entity Editor will retain the previous value you specified.


    Figure 4. NU Field Off


    Figure 5. NU Field On
    In the example below, assume that initially the field MID4 is turned OFF. You can turn the field on and then assign it a material. To turn the field ON, click its corresponding Value field. You can then use the entity selector to select a material to assign to the field. If you want to turn the field OFF, click the drop-down menu on the entity selector and select <OFF>.


    Figure 6. MID4 Field Off


    Figure 7. MID4 Field On
  • Turn card image fields on and off in the Card Editor by clicking the field heading.

    When a field is turned ON, an additional field appears under the field heading, from which you can enter or select a value.

    In example below, the card image MAT1 is displayed for a material in OptiStruct. By default, the field G is turned OFF. To turn the field ON, click its field header. The default value is displayed under the field heading.


    Figure 8. MAT1 Card Image with the Field G Off


    Figure 9. MAT1 Card Image with the Field G On
    When defining data in tables, certain fields can be turned ON and OFF. To turn a field ON, right-click on the heading of the disabled field and select Status. In the image below, the NO field is being turned ON for the load collector TSTEP.


    Figure 10.

Assign Entities

In the Entity Editor you can assign certain entities to another entity or a group of entities.

For example, you can assign a property to a component. When an entity has an entity assigned to it, the name and ID of the assigned entity will be displayed in the Value field. If an entity does not have an entity assigned to it, the Value field will display <Unspecified>.

In the image below, the Entity Editor is open for the component bottom_bracket. The material aluminum is assigned to the component, and a property has not yet been assigned.


Figure 11.

If available, you can expand a drop down menu on the entity selector to view more entity types.

  1. Select entities to assign in the following ways:
    • Click , press ".", or press Ctrl + Spacebar to select by typing names or IDs. While typing, the selection search function provides live suggestions of:
      • Entity names that contain the typed search terms (separated by space) somewhere in their name.
        Tip: If you wish to treat spaces as characters instead of search term separators, turn on the Match Exact Phrase option in the Preferences dialog, located in File > Preferences > Browsers > Selection Search.
      • Entity IDs that begin with a numeric search term.
      A live suggestions list will show partial matches for names and IDs while typing, up to a certain number (configurable in File > Preferences > Browsers > Selection Search). If the model contains more partial matches than listed in the suggestions list, click Browse More, or press Ctrl + Enter, to browse and select from the full partial match list.
      Tip: Live partial match suggestions are available for entity counts of up to 100,000. However, you can still select by typing names or IDs regardless of model size, and full match suggestions will be still provided and selectable.
    • Click to open the Advanced Selection dialog. Select entities then click OK.
    • Select entities in the modeling window.

      If the Advanced Selection dialog is open, the corresponding entity is automatically selected in the dialog.

  2. To confirm your selection and assign the entity, click .
  3. To clear your selection or unassign an entity, click .
  4. To exit the entity assignment tool, click .

Resolve Unresolved Entities

The import and export of unresolved entity IDs is supported, in a limited way. If you have an unresolved entity ID which is referenced by other entities, the Entity Editor displays the phrase "Unresolved Entity" in the Value field of the unresolved entity.
In the image below, the load collector Fatigue refers to a load collector with id=14, which is unresolved.


Figure 12.
  1. Right-click on an unresolved entity, or click , then select Clear unresolved entity from the context menu.
  2. Click the entity's Value field.
  3. Use the entity selector to choose a new entity.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Function Key Description
Tab Moves from one row to the next in the Entity Editor.
Shift + Tab Moves to the previous row in the Entity Editor.
Spacebar Activates the Value field of the selected row.
Move up and down in the Entity Editor, a list of options in drop-down menus, or in a right-click context menu.
Enter Accepts the changes made to a parameter in the Value field, or selects an option in a right-click context menu.
Esc Dismisses the changes made to a parameter in the Value field, or closes a right-click context menu.