FEMtools 4 Release Information

FEMtools 4.4.0 (July - December 2023):

FEMtools 4.4 is a major new version that brings exciting improvements to the FEMtools Framework, data interfaces and analysis tools. The FE data interfaces and drivers are updated to support the current versions of the FE programs. 

A new add-on tool for vibration data acquisition is added (FEMtools DAQ). For script developers, a developer panel and toolbar are added. The new ODS viewer merges test data and analytical modes shapes to display deformation, strain, stress and energy in time domain. For frequency domain analysis, a new FRF postprocessing panel is added.

The 4.4 release is of special importance to NASTRAN users because it introduces new innovative ways to select properties in a NASTRAN model as parameters, and to make NASTRAN and FEMtools work together for sensitivity analysis and model updating.

The highlights of this release are summarized hereafter:

Framework

Data Interfaces

  • Support for ANSYS 2023R2.
  • Support for MSC.Nastran 2023.3 and Simcenter Nastran 2306.
  • Support for ABAQUS 2023.
  • Support for SAP2000 V25.
  • NASTRAN interface and drivers now making use of new innovative FE interfacing technology.
  • Support for the new ETBLOCK card introduced in ANSYS 2023.

Analysis

  • New NASTRAN Parameters type making use of new FE interfacing technology for sensitivity analysis and model updating. Several examples are added to demonstrate this major new feature.
  • A new Parameter Browser dialog box is added to list and select NASTRAN Parameters.
  • Design of Experiments (DOE), probabilistic analysis (Monte Carlo Simulation; MCS) and parameter range analysis can now be done using the FEMtools modal solver but with element matrix re-computation for perturbed parameters using the ANSYS, NASTRAN and LS-DYNA solvers.

This version also consolidates all the maintenance releases since the release of v4.3.1

For more information about the changes in this release, see the FEMtools 4 Release Notes, Chapter "Overview of Changes in FEMtools 4.4". This can be downloaded from the support site.

 

FEMtools 4.3.1 Maintenance Release (July 2022 - March 2023):

FEMtools 4.3.1 is a maintenance release that provides bug corrections, several enhancements and some additions. This version also consolidates all the maintenance builds since the release of v4.3.0.2052.

 The FE data interfaces and drivers are updated to support the current versions of the FE interface programs:

  • Support for ANSYS 2022.1
  • Support for SAP2000 v24

For more information about the changes in this release, see the  FEMtools 4 Release Notes, Chapter "Overview of Changes in FEMtools 4.3.1"

 

FEMtools 4.3 (March 2022):

FEMtools 4.3 is a major new version that brings improvements to the FEMtools Framework, data interfaces and analysis tools. This version is also the first version that is tested to be compatible with Windows 11.

 The FE data interfaces and drivers are updated to support the current versions of the FE interface programs:

  • Support for ANSYS 2022.1
  • Support for MSC.Nastran 2021.4   (Update: FEMtools 4.3.0.2055 build was tested with MSC.Nastran 2022.1)
  • Support for Simcenter (NX) Nastran 2022.1
  • Support for ABAQUS 2022
  • Support for SAP2000 v23.3.1  (Update: FEMtools 4.3.0.2055 build was tested with SAP2000 V24)

The FEMtools internal element library, mesh viewer and the ABAQUS, ANSYS and NASTRAN interfaces now support linear and quadratic pyramid elements.

This version also consolidates all the maintenance releases since the release of v4.2.

For more information about the changes in this release, see the  FEMtools 4 Release Notes, Chapter "Overview of Changes in FEMtools 4.3"

 

FEMtools 4.2 (March 2021):

FEMtools 4.2 is a major new version that brings improvements to the FEMtools Framework, data interfaces and analysis tools. The FE data interfaces and drivers are updated to support the current versions of the FE programs (Abaqus, Ansys, LS-Dyna, Nastran and SAP2000).
The 4.2 release is of special importance to ANSYS users because it introduces new innovative ways to select properties in an ANSYS model as parameters, and to make ANSYS and FEMtools work together for sensitivity analysis and model updating.

The highlights of this new release are summarized hereafter:

Installation and Configuration

  • The startup command line parameter -m is added to specify a dictionary file that is used to localize the Explorer in the user interface.
  • The additional examples for EMA and OMA are now part of the FEMtools installer for Windows.

Framework

  • Significant improvements in graphics rendering performance of symbols and text markers thanks to the use of modern shader technology.
  • A new band tracker is added to find peak values in a curve segment.
  • Line and band trackers added to curve plots that feature Real and Imaginary or Bode plot (Magnitude and Phase) now appear in both frames and are linked.
  • A new MAC top view panel is added for customized reporting purposes.
  • Selecting and importing multiple files with FRFs
  • 6 new utility scripts added to perform various database tasks.

Data Interfaces

  • Support for up to ABAQUS 2021
  • Support for up to ANSYS 2021R1
  • ANSYS interface and drivers now making use of new innovative FE interfacing technology.
  • Support for the new format used in ANSYS 2021 RST results files.
  • New default element types are now used when exporting a FEMtools FE model to ANSYS.
  • Support for up to LS-Dyna R11.1.0
  • Support for up to MSC.Nastran 2020 and MSC.Nastran 2021.
  • Support for up to SAP2000 v23
  • A new interface script for DIANA DAT files.

Analysis

  • Several tools for pretest analysis are rewritten or optimized for speed and reducing memory requirements.
  • The possibility to combine sensor of different types (uni-axial, tri-axial) and different orientations (global axis, local axis, normal-to-surface) through the use of saved and imposed sensors sets is improved.
  • Constrained models are now supported in pretest analysis criteria that do not allow constrained DOFs by filtering them out of the candidates set.
  • It is now possible to do FRF synthesis using only modes, only residual vectors (lower and/or upper), or modes and residuals. This can be used to compute improved FRFs for Rigid Body Properties Extraction (RBPE).
  • New ANSYS Parameters type making use of new FE interfacing technology for sensitivity analysis and model updating. Several examples are added to demonstrate this major new feature.
  • A new Parameter Browser dialog box is added to list and select ANSYS Parameters.
  • Support for stress responses for correlation analysis, sensitivity analysis and model updating.
  • Sampling for Design of Experiments (DOE) can now be done using a linear or exponential scale.
  • Different types of Mode Indicator Functions can now be selected in the Poles Extraction tab of FEMtools MPE (Modal Parameter Extractor).
  • The FEMtools RBPE (Rigid Body Properties Extractor) can now use improved FRFs for cases when the mass-line range is too narrow or noisy.

For more information about the changes in this release, see the  FEMtools 4 Release Notes, Chapter "Overview of Changes in FEMtools 4.2"

 

FEMtools 4.1.2 Maintenance Release (March 2020):

FEMtools 4.1.2 is a maintenance release that provides bug corrections and several enhancements, including support for recent FE software releases:

  • Support of Abaqus 2020
  • Support of Ansys 2020R1

For more information about the changes in this release, see the  FEMtools 4 Release Notes, Chapter "Overview of Changes in FEMtools 4.1.2"

 

FEMtools 4.1.1 Maintenance Release (October 2019):

FEMtools 4.1.1 is a maintenance release that provides bug corrections, several enhancements and following additions:

  • In order to comply with Microsoft logo requirements, all FEMtools EXE and DLL files (Windows) are digitally signed and timestamped.
  • New material and geometry parameters directly referring to the material and geometrical properties indexes.
  • Support for SAP2000 v21

 For more information about the changes in this release, see the  FEMtools 4 Release Notes, Chapter "Overview of Changes in FEMtools 4.1.1"

 

FEMtools 4.1 (June 2019):

FEMtools 4.1 is a major new version that brings improvements to the FEMtools Framework and pretest analysis tools. FE-test correlation, sensitivity analysis and model updating now support strain responses. The FE data interfaces and drivers are updated to support the current versions of the FE programs.

The highlights of this new release are summarized hereafter:

General

  • Support for the new Sentinel HL Pro Driverless dongle is added.
  • User's Guides updated to 1600+ pages.

Framework

  • Conversion from linear to quadratic elements added.
  • Automatic generation of surface elements from test model tracelines.
  • Improved expansion of test mode shapes.
  • Improved interactive Mode Shape Pairs Editor.
  • The FEMtools database now supports strain and stress tensors, computed internally or imported using data interfaces.
  • Tables now support display strain and stress tensors.
  • Code optimization for long combo-boxes resulting in factor 50 speed increase.
  • A new graphics capture tool is added for capturing and resizing a graphic window.
  • A new button to set the center of (dynamic) rotation.
  • A new Animation Control dialog box.
  • Curve trackers can now be moved using the keyboard arrow buttons.
  • For shape animation, the color-coding can be set to follow the deformation amplitude.
  • The number of contour intervals and custom legend colors can be specified.
  • Code optimization of graphics rendering leading to speedup factors of up to factor 10.
  • Graphics viewers now support display strain and stress tensors.
  • The formulation for QUAD8 elements is improved for more robustness and higher speed.
  • The FEMtools solvers now support ILP64 (8 bytes) integer indexing, enabling larger datasets.
  • Computation of static and modal stress and strain has been reworked and now includes support for 2D and 3D elements.
  • Support for selecting strain responses is improved with support for stress component and element face selection. Specifying a coordinate system can now use an Automatic mode.
  • There are 25 new FEMtools API functions to support script development.

Data Interfaces

  • Support of Abaqus 2019
  • Support of Ansys 19.4
  • Support of MSC.Nastran 2019
  • Added support for static displacement and strain analysis in the Abaqus, Ansys and Nastran interfaces and drivers.
  • Like the Nastran interface, the Abaqus and Ansys interfaces now also support import of mode shapes based on mode number and on frequency ranges.
  • Support for SAP2000 v20

Analysis

  • Improvements to Modal-based Assembly (MBA)
  • Automatic traceline generation has been reworked to support larger point clouds like produced by full field testing.
  • It is now possible to do manual sensor selection on a FE model without the need to compute or import the shapes.
  • It is now possible to import a test model and use it as a pretest model that can be edited (sensors added, removed, moved) and used in the Rotate Sensor panel.
  • New examples for static displacement and strain-based correlation analysis and model updating are added.
  • Support for strain responses is added.
  • Several utility scripts are added to postprocess sensitivity analysis results like deleting responses and parameters based on sensitivity level, or create sets of elements based on sensitivity.
  • Static displacement-based model updating is now supported with FEMtools, Ansys, Abaqus and Nastran solvers.
  • Static strain-based model updating with FEMtools, Ansys, Abaqus and Nastran solvers.

 

FEMtools 4.0.1 Maintenance Release (December 2017):

FEMtools 4.0.1 is a maintenance release that provides bug corrections, several enhancements and following additions:

  • New interface with ABAQUS SIM files
  • Support for MSC.Nastran 2018
  • Support for MSC.Nastran free and mixed interface superelements
  • Support for SAP2000 v19
  • New command SORT
  • Several new examples
  • Several new documentation chapters

 

FEMtools 4 (June 2017):

FEMtools 4 is a major new version that brings new features and improvements in all modules, supports recent versions of FE programs and consolidates the maintenance releases of the past years. 

The highlights of this new release are summarized hereafter:

  • Released for Windows 64-bit platforms (7, 8, 10) and Linux 64-bit RHEL6+ only
  • Support of a new Safenet HL dongle that can also be used on Linux computers
  • New Check for Updates automatic updating of the program
  • New license configurator to configure nodelocked, network and roaming licenses
  • New vector-based icons (SVG) with modern flat design
  • Automatic scaled icons on high resolution monitors (4K)
  • New reporting commands for MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
  • New interactive test model editor
  • Improved graphical picking (visible items only, pick by face, pick by attached)
  • New Digital Signal Processing (DSP) commands
  • Support of Abaqus 2017
  • Support of MSC.Nastran 2017
  • Support of Ansys 18+
  • New interface with the LS-DYNA finite element package
  • New out-of-core solver options to overcome memory limitations
  • New command to add rigid body modes and rotation DOF to the database (MBA)
  • Support for rigid connections in Modal-Based Assembly (MBA)
  • New tool for computing Mass Loading Sensitivity (MLS)
  • Improved Mode Participation Analysis (MPA) tool
  • New tool for computing Mode Participation Maps (MPM)
  • New tools for excitation and support location selection
  • New commands for importing and exporting sensor selections
  • New interactive mode shape pair viewer
  • Improved computation of  mode participation factors
  • Improved computation of modal orthogonality (EVO)
  • Support for new parameter types (spring stiffness scaling factors)
  • New commands for RSM regression and verification
  • Topometry optimization for minimum FRF level design