External Connection Add-In.pdf

External Connection Add-In

Release 15.0ANSYS, Inc.

November 2013Southpointe

275 Technology Drive

Canonsburg, PA 15317 ANSYS, Inc. iscertified to ISO

9001:[email protected]

http://www.ansys.com

(T) 724-746-3304

(F) 724-514-9494

Copyright and Trademark Information

2013 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use, distribution or duplication is prohibited.

ANSYS, ANSYS Workbench, Ansoft, AUTODYN, EKM, Engineering Knowledge Manager, CFX, FLUENT, HFSS and any

and all ANSYS, Inc. brand, product, service and feature names, logos and slogans are registered trademarks or

trademarks of ANSYS, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States or other countries. ICEM CFD is a trademark used

by ANSYS, Inc. under license. CFX is a trademark of Sony Corporation in Japan. All other brand, product, service

and feature names or trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Disclaimer Notice

THIS ANSYS SOFTWARE PRODUCT AND PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION INCLUDE TRADE SECRETS AND ARE CONFID-

ENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY PRODUCTS OF ANSYS, INC., ITS SUBSIDIARIES, OR LICENSORS. The software products

and documentation are furnished by ANSYS, Inc., its subsidiaries, or affiliates under a software license agreement

that contains provisions concerning non-disclosure, copying, length and nature of use, compliance with exporting

laws, warranties, disclaimers, limitations of liability, and remedies, and other provisions. The software products

and documentation may be used, disclosed, transferred, or copied only in accordance with the terms and conditions

of that software license agreement.

ANSYS, Inc. is certified to ISO 9001:2008.

U.S. Government Rights

For U.S. Government users, except as specifically granted by the ANSYS, Inc. software license agreement, the use,

duplication, or disclosure by the United States Government is subject to restrictions stated in the ANSYS, Inc.

software license agreement and FAR 12.212 (for non-DOD licenses).

Third-Party Software

See the legal information in the product help files for the complete Legal Notice for ANSYS proprietary software

and third-party software. If you are unable to access the Legal Notice, please contact ANSYS, Inc.

Published in the U.S.A.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the External Connection Add-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Overview .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Integrating an External Application .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

External Process Responsibilities ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Customizing the Workbench User Interface .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Custom Toolbar and Menu Entries ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Creating Custom External Connection Systems and Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

General Workflow .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

System File Layout and Installation .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Creating System Definition Files ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Creating Component Configuration Files ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Defining Inputs and Outputs .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Creating Update Instructions for Producing or Consuming Data .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Upstream Data Consumption (Input) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Data Generation (Output) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Convenience Queries .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Configuration XML File Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Configuration Node .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Instructions Node .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Format .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Attributes .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

GuiOperations Node .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Format .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Attributes .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Properties Node .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Format .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Attributes .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

DataEntity ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Object ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Properties ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

External Connection Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Custom, Lightweight, External Application Integration .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

File Structure .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Component Configuration XML File ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

User Interface Button Definition .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

File Structure .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

UI Configuration XML File ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Instruction File ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Mesh Transfer System ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

File Structure .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

System Definition XML File ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Component Configuration File .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Update Instruction ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Material Transfer .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

File Structure .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

System Definition XML File ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Component Configuration File .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Update Instruction ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Material File .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Custom Transfer System ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

iiiRelease 15.0 - SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information

of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.

File Structure .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Producer System Definition XML File ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Producer Component Configuration File .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Producer Update Instruction ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Consumer System Definition XML File ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Consumer Component Configuration File .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Consumer Update Instruction ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

A. Data Transfer Types .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Data Transfer Types ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

B. ANSYS Workbench Component Inputs and Outputs .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Component Input and Outputs Table .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Index .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Release 15.0 - SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential informationof ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.iv

External Connection Guide

Introduction to the External Connection Add-In

The following section describes the ANSYS Workbench External Connection Add-in and how you can

use it within an ANSYS Workbench workflow.

Overview

Integrating an External Application

Customizing the Workbench User Interface

Overview

The External Connection Add-in enables you to integrate custom, lightweight, external applications and

processes into the ANSYS Workbench Project Schematic workflow. Features exposed by the External

Connection also allow you to perform automation and customization activities.

With the External Connection, you can:

Integrate custom, lightweight, external applications.

Define User Interface (UI) elements, such as buttons in the Workbench Toolbar or entries in custom

menus, and create the scripts that enable them.

Create new systems to facilitate interaction with the Workbench Project Schematic.

The External Connection Add-in provides an External Connection system in the External Connection

Systems toolbox. The system contains a single External Connection component that acts as a proxy

for the external application.

Figure 1: External Connection System Cell in Toolbox

After you drag an External Connection system into the Workbench Project Schematic window, the Ex-

ternal Connection component appears in an Edit Required state, indicated by a question mark, until

you update it with a Component Configuration file.

1Release 15.0 - SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information


Figure 2: Read Configuration Menu

In the figure below, the External Connection reads the Configuration file SquaresConfig.xml, whichprovides integration details for an external application that calculates square values that are then dis-

played in the System Parameters. See Custom, Lightweight, External Application Integration (p. 21) for

more details.

Figure 3: Squares Example Schematic View

The following figure shows an External Connection that adds a functional button to the toolbar. See

User Interface Button Definition (p. 23) for more details.

Release 15.0 - SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential informationof ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.2


Figure 4: Button Definition Example

The figure below shows a Mesh Transfer system that consumes an upstream mesh and passes it to a

downstream Fluent system. See Mesh Transfer System (p. 24) for more details.



Overview

Figure 5: End-to-End Mesh Transfer Between Mesh, Mesher, and Fluent Setup

Integrating an External Application

The External Connection Addin provides, by default, a single-component External Connection system

in the External Connection Systems toolbox. This system acts as a proxy for the external application,

enabling the external application to define and expose input and output parameters within the Work-

bench Schematic window. You can manipulate these External Connection-defined parameters in the

same way as standard Workbench parameters for example, in terms of design point creation, update,

and state. Specifically, the External Connection add-in allows you to use the Design Exploration applic-

ations design exploration capabilities with any external application.

Every External Connection system exposes a Read Configuration GUI operation as a component context

menu. This GUI operations underlying command reads a Component Configuration XML file which

contains all the information that the external process wants to provide to Workbench (see "Configuration

XML File Details" (p. 11) for more information). At minimum, the configuration file contains the following

elements:

The definition of input and output parameters, including the parsing rules for reading the values from a

file.

An OS executable or a Python script to be executed during the component Update command. Python

scripts execute within the Workbench Python interpreter; as a result, scripts have full access to the

scriptable Workbench API (Journaling and Scripting).

External Connection reads and stores all the information defined within the Component Configuration

file. You may access the stored configuration information through the Edit Configuration GUI operation

on the external connection component context menu. Only infrastructure/integration changes within



the external application should result in configuration file changes; otherwise, users should not modify

loaded configuration settings.

When you invoke an Update on the External Connection component, the add-in:

1. Writes the current input parameter values to the file specified in the Component Configuration file

2. Launches the external application

Upon the completion of the external application, the add-in:

1. Verifies successful execution (and sends an error message if it was not successful)

2. Reads the current output parameter values provided by the external application in the file location spe-

cified in the Component Configuration file.

After you read a Component Configuration file into an External Connection component, Workbench

disables the Read Configuration GUI Operation. The Reset GUI operation, also a context menu on an

External Connection component, discards the imported configuration information. Workbench re-enables

the Read Configuration GUI operation upon Reset as you must load a new Component Configuration

file to proceed.

External Process Responsibilities

An external process must, at minimum:

Provide a configuration file that contains two elements:

The input/output parameter processing definitions

The update script or OS executable name

Read the input parameters from the input file.

Execute a solve/update of the external process.

Write the computed output parameter values to the output file.


The External Connection Add-in provides customization functionality beyond project schematic workflow

interaction. You can define custom User Interface entries and underlying instructions to perform miscel-

laneous tasks, including process automation and lightweight vertical applications. This section provides

information on how you can use the External Connection to customize the Workbench User Interface.

Custom Toolbar and Menu Entries

You can enrich the external connection functionality by defining custom toolbar and menu entries

within the Workbench User Interface. Workbench reads in a user interface-specific configuration file,

independent of any defined Component Configuration files, at add-in load time, from either an install-

ation- or user-specific location. A UI-based configuration file located in the installation area results in

Workbench exposing additional custom entries for every user who accesses the installed ANSYS Work-

bench application. On the other hand, a file located in the user-specific area will result in additional

custom entries only appearing for that specific user. In either case, the content of the user-specific custom




files takes precedence over the custom installation files. If UI configuration files exist in both locations,

workbench first examines and loads the user-specific entries and then processes installation entries

(ignoring duplicates).

The custom User Interface configuration file format shares the same syntax as the Component Config-

uration files used with External Connection components. However, only the GUI operation section and

elements remain relevant. If you provide content from other sections, Workbench will ignore it (see

Configuration XML File Details for element descriptions and examples).

You must place custom installation files in the ExternalConnection directory under v150/Addins(for example C:\Program Files\Ansys Inc\v150\Addins\ExternalConnection). Theuser-specific custom file location depends upon the operating system:

for Windows machines, you should create a directory named ExternalConnection under %APP-DATA%\Ansys\v150.

for Linux machines, you should create a directory named ExternalConnection under $HOME/.con-fig/Ansys/v150.

You must create a directory named Customization under the above ExternalConnection folder to

utilize the custom UI functionality within the External Connection Addin. Finally, you must name your

custom UI configuration file (which contains the information about the custom UI entries) CustomTool-

BarConfiguration.xml and place it under the new Customization folder. You may additionally require

folders named Images and Scripts under the Customization directory if your custom UI entries use

images or scripts, as defined in your UI configuration file.

The custom entries defined within the UI configuration file invoke either in-line C# code snippets or

python script files. Typically, External Connection users define python script files as they have full access

to the Workbench Scripting APIs. You can use a combination of custom UI entries and scripts to support

process automation, wizard-like dialogs, and custom lightweight vertical applications.

Note

Toolbar buttons may not appear in Workbench by default. If your External Connection-defined

UI entry does not appear, select the corresponding Toolbar group menu entry from the

View>Toolbars menu.



Creating Custom External Connection Systems and Components

You can define custom External Connection-based systems and components. This functionality helps

deliver features previously available only through the ANSYS Workbench SDK in a more user-friendly,

less technical fashion.

This section discusses how you can create the various files required to expose custom External Connection

systems and components. The following topics are covered:

General Workflow

System File Layout and Installation

Creating System Definition Files

Creating Component Configuration Files

General Workflow

The general workflow for creating a custom External Connection System includes:

1. Create a System Definition File.

2. Create any necessary Component Configuration XML files. The files optionally can contain:

Python scripts

Operating System (OS) Executables

Images

3. Add the files to the appropriate installation directories.

4. Manipulate External Connection system cells within Workbench to add them to your workflow.

System File Layout and Installation

All the files for a single system should reside in the same directory. A single directory should, at least,

contain the System Definition XML file and the Component Configuration XML Files.

Optionally, the directory can contain:

Python Scripts

Executables

System and Component Images

For example, a directory C:\Program Files\Ansys Inc\v150\Addins\ExternalConnec-tion\SystemDefinitions might contain the following files:\MySystem\MySystem\MySystem.xml\MySystem\MyComponent.xml



\MySystem\update.py\MySystem\Images\system.png\MySystem\Images\component.png

Creating System Definition Files

The System Definition file contains information to create an ANSYS Workbench system designed for a

particular simulation objective. All analyses performed within Workbench begin by referencing a system

template.

This XML file describes the System and declares all components contained by the system.

System Definition files must specify, at minimum:

The system name

The component name and Input Type for a component. The Input Type can be empty.

At the System level, you can optionally specify:

Display text

Abbreviation

Image name

Toolbox group

At the Component level, you can optionally specify:

Display text

Image name

At the Input/Output level, you can optionally specify a Data Type.

The following is an example of the basic structure of a System Definition file:


Component Configuration files contain both parameter and instructional information, including key

commands associated with a specific component. A Component Configuration file follows the same

format and delivers the same functionality as the Configuration files discussed earlier in the section,

Integrating an External Application (p. 4).

Components within Workbench stay in an Edit Required state (displaying the question mark icon) until

the user selects a Component Configuration file using the Read Configuration Component Context

menu.



Figure 6: Component File with Read Configuration Menu Exposed

Defining Inputs and Outputs

Workbench Schematic connections serve as visual representations of data flow between components.

These connections depend on input and output coordination. Workbench can only establish connections

if an upstream (providing) component exposes outputs whose types also match the inputs for a

downstream (consuming) component. These input and output specifications must be made within the

Component nodes of the System Definition file. At minimum, a component should always specify an

empty input ().

Certain Workbench types require the use of the dataType attribute. For example, the Mesh componentuses dataType to determine which mesh file format to output (for example, Fluent).

In the following example, the FluentMesh data type value instructs an upstream mesh componentto output the Fluent mesh file format (.msh).

This example defines the inputs and outputs for a component within a Fluent meshing workflow:

MeshingMesh SimulationGeneratedMesh

For a list of supported transfer types and their corresponding transfer properties, seeTable 1: Data

Transfer Types and Properties (p. 33).

Creating Update Instructions for Producing or Consuming Data

If any component produces or consumes data, you must supply an Update routine that processes input

and output types as declared by the system definition file. For a table of supported component inputs

and outputs, see the Component Input and Outputs Table in Appendix B.




Upstream Data Consumption (Input)

Typically, components need to implement complex source handling logic, connection tracking routines,

and a refresh procedure in order to consume data. However, the External Connection Addin handles

all of these actions. It obtains upstream data and stores it in a dictionary accessible during the component

Update. The component can obtain this data by calling External Connection-exposed convenience

queries.

Data Generation (Output)

Components that produce output data (for example, declare output types in the system definition file)

must ensure that their custom Update routine assigns output data. The External Connection Addin

prepares empty data objects representing component outputs; the user must only set the correct

transfer properties that downstream consumers will interrogate. Refer to Table 1: Data Transfer Types

and Properties (p. 33) to determine which properties you must set. For example, a material transfer to

a downstream Engineering Data component must set the DataReference TransferFile propertyon a MatML31 data object to the file reference of a registered matml-formatted XML fileall completed

during the Update routine.

Convenience Queries

Convenience queries are Python queries that provide simple access to component-stored input and

output data. The three types of convenience queries are:

GetInputData

Returns a Dictionary containing input-type keys and data-containing property-based values. For

example:

Dictionary> upstreamData = GetInputData(container);Dictionary meshData = upstreamData[MeshingMesh];DataReference meshFile = (DataReference)meshData[TransferFile];

GetInputDataByType

Returns a Dictionary containing upstream data for a given type. Forexample:

Dictionary geometryData = GetInputDataByType(container, Geometry); DataReference geomFile = (DataReference)geometryData[GeometryFileReferene];DataReferenceSet auxFiles = (DataReferenceSet)geometryData[AuxiliaryFiles];

GetOutputData

Returns a Dictionary holding the components output types. For example:

Dictionary outputs = GetOutputData(container); DataReference meshOutput = outputs[SimulationGeneratedMesh];



Configuration XML File Details

The Configuration XML file contains an XML node where you define the informationneeded for parameter initialization and component update. In addition to the instructions, you can

define the following elements in the configuration file:

GUI operations that execute from a components context menu or from a custom toolbar or menu entry.

Each GUI operation can either define inline C# code or specify a Python script.

One or more set of data entities with properties. You can access these properties from the Python scripts

invoked for update or custom GUI operations.

Configuration XML files are used for both the External Connection component and UI configuration

files. Detailed documentation of the configuration file is provided in the following sections.

Configuration Node

The node contains the , , and nodes.

The node allows you to specify the following optional attributes:

SystemName - The user-visible string that is assigned to the system.

CellName - The user-visible string that is assigned to the cell.

Version - The version associated with the configuration file.

ShowEditConfiguration - Specifies whether the user can view and modify the entries providedin the configuration file.

Instructions Node

The global XML node contains all the information related to initialization (includingparameters definition) and update. A Working Directory is defined inside the nodeas described below:

The node allows you to specify the following optional attribute:

[WorkingDirectory] The path of the Working Directory, with or without the trailing slash.This attribute is optional. If the Working Directory is not specified, the default Working Directory de-

termined by Workbench will be used (typically, project_files/dpx/Ex/Ext, where dpx is the



active design point). The Working Directory is also used to search for files defined in other sections

of the configuration file if a full path to the file is not provided.

Note

To ensure project portability, the External Connection Add-in no longer uses the working

directory after you save the Workbench project. When the project is saved, External Connection

copies the Configuration file and all external files (scripts, parameter files, etc.) referred to

by the Configuration file into a unique directory inside the project directory. The unique

directory corresponds to the system from where you invoked the Read Configuration action

(for example, project_files/dpx/Ex/Ext, where dpx is the active design point). Thisdirectory becomes the working directory for the saved project. Since the project directory

now contains all the Configuration-related files, you can archive the project and then re-open

it even when the external files are not accessible.

Format

The node has the following format:

[Plug-In Name] [Executable Path] [Error File] [Error String] [Args] [Script] [Interrupt Script] [Stop Script] [Value]

Attributes

The node has the following attributes:

Attributes

[Instruction Type] - The type that determines where the instruction will be executed.

Init - The parameter will be executed when the configuration is read.

Update - The parameter will be executed when the project is updated.

[Plug-In Name]- The user-defined name of the generic plug-in. This name must be unique throughoutthe instruction file. It defines a way for the Workbench environment to identify this instance of the generic

plug-in, because it is possible to have several instances (several third party applications or codes) of the

third party plug-in in the process sequence.

[Executable Path] - The location of the executable file with which the third-party plug-in will interact.This can be either the full path or the relative path of the executable with respect to the Working Directory

for the instruction file.



[Error File] - A file used to communicate that the execution of the external application was notsuccessful. The error file needs to be removed by the external application upon completion. If still present,

Workbench will send an error message and stop the update. The content of the error message can be

specified through the attribute CheckOnError (see below). A generic message is displayed if CheckOn-Error is not specified.

[Error String] - If an error file is specified, its content will be scanned for lines that contain thespecified error string. All lines that contain the string will be displayed as error messages (with the error

string stripped from the message). An error string named file will cause the whole content of the file to

be displayed.

[Args] - The command line arguments passed to the executable when run.

[Script] - The Python script to be interpreted within the Workbench framework on execution of thisinstruction if the ExePath is not defined. The Python script has access to the following variables:

container - A string that can be passed to any command or query that requires a data containerreference parameter.

configurationObject - The configuration object can be used to access some of the informationspecified in the configuration file (for example, Working Directory or error file). The query GetEnti-tyProperties(Entity=configurationObject) returns a dictionary which contains all theavailable configuration information.

[Interrupt Script] - An optional Python script that is invoked when the computation is interrupted.In Workbench terminology, the Interrupt operation closes the external application cleanly, allowing access

to data. The Interrupt operation is visible only if the Interrupt script is provided.

[Stop Script] - An optional Python script that is invoked when the computation is stopped. InWorkbench terminology, the Stop operation abruptly closes the external application, possibly resulting

in the loss of data. The Stop operation is visible only if the Stop script is provided. The same script canbe used for Stop and Interrupt . Both scripts have access to the same information (strings containerand configurationObject) that is passed to the update script.

[Node Name] - A name given to the XML node that defines the parsing information for a single para-meter. This name does not have to be unique but must adhere to the naming rules for XML nodes (for

example, no spaces or special characters).

[Parameter Name] - A unique name that represents a single parameter in the Workbench environment.This is the name that will be used to identify the parameter throughout the UI.

[Type] - The general type of the parameter. It must be one of two possible values:

Input - The parameter will be treated as an input parameter, exactly as input parameters are handledin the Workbench environment.

Output - The parameter will be treated as an output or response parameter in the Workbench envir-onment. When chaining generic plug-ins together, each instance of the generic plug-in can contain

input and output parameters.

[Rule Name] - A name given to the XML node that represents a single parsing rule for the parameterdefined by the rule's parent node. This name does not have to be unique, but must adhere to the naming

rules for XML nodes (for example, no spaces or special characters). Multiple rules can (and in most cases



Instructions Node

must) be defined for each parameter. The only restriction is that only one rule of each type (detailed below)

can exist for each parameter.

[Rule Type] - The type of the defined rule. This can be one of the following values:

File - The file rule defines the text file that contains the parameter value. This file can be the full pathto the file, or the relative path to the file with respect to the Working Directory. Files containing Inputtype parameters must exist when reading the configuration file.

StartLine - The line number in the text file that the code will begin parsing. For example, if the first500 lines of a file contain only comments, begin parsing the file at line 501 to avoid wasting system

resources. The start line is 1 based; therefore, a value of 0 or 1 will be treated in the same way.

PreString - The text that immediately precedes the actual parameter value in the file. For example,if the file defines a parameter as "Cf = 12.555" the PreString for the parameter would be "Cf=". This text does not need to include any white space immediately preceding the parameter value.

DataType - The type of data that represents the parameter. The DataType must be one of the fol-lowing values.

1. float The value of the parameter is a floating point (decimal) number. This is used for continuousvariables.

2. double The value of the parameter is a double.

3. quantity The value of the parameter is a quantity containing a numeric value with units inthe form value [unit] (for example, 20 [m s^-1]).

SkipOccurrences - The number of PreString occurrences to skip before parsing begins.

[Value]- The value of the rule. No quotes are needed to delimit this value, as per the XML parsing rules.For example, a SkipOccurrences node would look like

3

where "3" is the [Value] for the rule, signifying that 3 lines should be skipped in the file beforesearching for the parameter.

GuiOperations Node

You can add custom GUI operations to the context menu of an External Connection component. You

can also add custom toolbar buttons or entries in a custom menu. These custom operations support

script or C# code definition to execute upon operation invocation.

Format


[Code]



Attributes

The node has the following attributes:

[Operation Name] - The name shown in the context menu.

[Priority] - The weighted value determining the location within the context menu, the toolbar or themenu where the GUI operation is defined.

[SourceType] - The type of code being used to define the response behavior for operation execution.

CSharp - The code will be written in C#.

Python - The code will be written in Python.

[Type] - The type specifies where the GUI operation should be placed in the user interface. The allowedtypes are:

ContextMenuEntry - This is the default type and should be specified in order to define GUI operationsthat are shown upon Right Mouse Button selection of a component in an External Connection system.

ContextMenu should NOT be specified for operations defined in configuration files located in the in-stallation area or in the user specific area since it is not possible to associate them with a specific cell.

ToolbarButton - The type ToolbarButton should be used for creating custom entries in thetoolbar. You can define a toolbar group using the attribute Entry defined below. This type shouldNOT be specified for GUI operations defined on the component configuration file. It is reserved for UI-

specific configuration files that are processed at add-in load from the installation or user specific areas.

MenuEntry - The type MenuEntry should be used for creating custom entries in Menu. The newlycreated Menu Entry is specified via the attribute Entry defined below. This type should NOT be specified

for GUI operations defined on the component configuration file. It is reserved for UI-specific configuration

files that are processed at add-in load from the installation or user specific areas.

[Entry] - The Entry attribute is relevant only in conjunction with a specified Type=MenuEntry orType=ToolbarButton. It defines the name of a new menu entry or Toolbar group where the GUI op-eration is shown. For menu entries, it is also possible to define sub-menus of a given menu as comma

separated values. For example, specifying Entry as "NewMenu, SubMenu1" will result in the GUI operationappearing from a sub-menu "SubMenu1" of a Menu Entry "NewMenu"

[Code] - The code defined inside the configuration file, rather than a separate file:

[Script]- The path to a Python script to be run on execution of the operation. Specification of thescript cannot be combined with execution of custom code. Therefore a script should not be included if

code is defined inside the tags of the GuiOperation node. Scripts invoked from a GUI operation definedon the ContextMenu of the cell have access to the following variables:



GuiOperations Node

container - A string that can be passed to any command or query that requires as a parameter thereference to the data container associated with the component.

configurationObject - The configuration object can be used in order to access some of the in-formation specified in the configuration file (for example, a working directory or error file). The query

GetEntityProperties(Entity=configurationObject)returns a dictionary which containsall the available configuration information.

When the GUI operation invokes a script, the invocation of the script is wrapped in a command. It is

possible to specify scripts to be executed in order to interrupt or cancel the execution of the command.

It is also possible to specify an error file to provide messages when the command execution fails, with

the same control on the error display that is provided for the update. A detailed description of the at-

tributes is given below:

1. InterruptScript=[string] An optional Python script that is invoked when the computation isinterrupted. In Workbench terminology, the Interrupt operation closes the external application cleanly,

allowing access to data. The Interrupt operation is visible only if the Interrupt script is provided.

2. StopScript=[string] An optional Python script that is invoked when the computation is stopped.In Workbench terminology, the Stop operation abruptly closes the external application, possibly resulting

in the loss of data. The Stop operation is visible only if the Stop script is provided. The same script can

be used for Stop and Interrupt . The script has access to the same information (strings container andconfigurationObject) that is passed to the executing script.

3. ErrorFile=[string] A file used to communicate that the execution of the GUI operation wasnot successful. The error file needs to be removed by the GUI operation upon completion. If it is still

present, Workbench will send an error message. The content of the error message can be specified

through the attribute CheckOnError (see below). A generic message is displayed if CheckOnError is not

specified.

4. CheckOnError=[string] If an error file is specified, its content will be scanned for lines thatcontain the specified error string. All lines that contain the string will be displayed as error messages

(with the error string stripped from the message). An error string named file will cause the whole content

of the file to be displayed.

5. UseUpdateConfiguration=[boolean] This variable can be specified as a shortcut, in order touse for the custom GUI operation the same files specified in the Update instructions for stop/interrupt

and for controlling the error message display. If the attribute is True and the attributes above are not

specified, the code will use the ones provided for the first update instruction, if specified.

[Image] - The name (without extension) of a file containing an image to be used for the GUI operation.Files with common extension for images are searched under the Images directory under External Con-nection add-in. If a Customization directory is provided under the installation or user specific area,the corresponding Images directories are also searched for the specified file.

[Tooltip] A string to be displayed as the Tooltip for ToolbarButton type operations. The stringhas no effect for other operation types.

Properties Node

You can define custom properties in the XML node.

Properties are used to create dynamic data objects in Workbench; therefore, their definitions reflect the

internal organization of the Workbench data model. Properties should be assigned a DataEntity and



an ObjectName. The DataEntity is a string that defines high level grouping for the properties. Oneor more objects can be created for a given DataEntity.

A DataObject ObjectName (as defined by its DataEntity and properties) is added to the con-tainer associated with the cell from which the configuration is read. If different External Data systems

are present, each has a separate container.

Format


Attributes

DataEntity

[Data Entity Name] - The internal (immutable) name assigned to the Data Entity. If this attribute isnot specified, a default name is assigned internally. However, specification of a name allows for the retrieval

of the properties associated with objects of the Data Entity (see below). A special name CellPropertiesis reserved for the DataEntity whose properties should be displayed in the user interface from thecontext menu of the associated cell.

[Data Entity Label] - The display name (user changeable) assigned to the Data Entity in the userinterface.

Object

[Data Object Name] - The internal (immutable) name assigned to the Data Object. If this attributeis not specified, a default name is assigned internally. However, specification of a name allows for the

retrieval of the properties associated with the given object (see below).

Properties

Mandatory attributes for the definition of a property are:

[Property Name] - The name to be assigned to the property, unique for that DataEntity

[DataType] - The type of data which the properties define. Currently supported types include:

int

double

string



Properties Node

quantity

bool

option

DataReference

[Value] - A string representing the value to be assigned to the property, which is parsed by thecode according to the type.

The bool type can assume the values of True or False.

A quantity type should be specified by providing a string of type double [ unit ] (forexample, 23 [ms^-1] ).

The options type is used for mutually exclusive choices, that should be specified by commaseparated strings without white space (for example, [Option1,Option2]).

The DataReference type should be specified by a string of typeDataEntityType:Object-Name.

Optional attributes are:

[Property Label] - The user-visible string that can be assigned to the property (default is theproperty name).

[Group] - The group to organize the properties (for UI purpose only).

[IsReadOnly] (True/False) - Specifies that the property cannot be edited. Default is"False."

[IsExtrinsic] (True/False) - Specifies that the property is not relevant for the com-putation of the state of the cell. Default is "False."

[IsVisible] (True/False) - Specifies whether the property should be shown in the UI.Default is "True."

[Min] - The lowest range for the property value.

[Max] - The highest range for the property value.

[OptionLabels] (for option type only) - The visible names for the options, to be used in the userinterface, specified by comma separated strings without white space (for example [Back-ground,Foreground]).

You can access the value for each property from any Python script used with Workbench via the

Workbench query GetEntityProperty, as described below:

dataReference = / + container + / + DataEntityName + : + ObjectName propertyVal = GetEntityProperty(Entity=dataReference, Name=PropertyName)

where



container is the name of the container associated with the cell. This information is typically availablein the function from where the Python script is called (for example, the update script for a cell or the

script invoked from a GUI operation selected on a given cell).

DataEntityName is the name specified in the configuration file. For example:

ObjectName is the name specified in the configuration file. For example:

PropertyName is the name of the property specified in the configuration file.

It is also possible to change the value of the properties that are not marked as read-only using the

Workbench SetEntityProperty command:

SetEntityProperty(Entity=dataReference,Name=PropertyName, Value=value)

where value is the appropriate type for the property being modified. For example, a property of type

quantity named InletVelocity defined for an object named AnsSettingsObject of the dataentity type SettingsDataEntity can be queried and set as follows:

dataReference = / + container + / + SettingsDataEntity + : + AnsSettingsObject value = GetEntityProperty(Entity=dataReference, Name = InletVelocity) SetEntityProperty(Entity = dataReference, Name = InletVelocity, Value=10 [m s^-1])



Properties Node

External Connection Examples

The following section provides examples of how you can use the External Connection in ANSYS Work-

bench. The examples are as follows:

Custom, Lightweight, External Application Integration

User Interface Button Definition

Mesh Transfer System

Material Transfer

Custom Transfer System

Custom, Lightweight, External Application Integration

The following example illustrates the integration of an external application that squares the value of

an input number, which is displayed in the Parameter Set tab. The external application updates the

output parameter to the computed square value.

Figure 7: Squares Example Schematic View



Figure 8: Squares Example In Parameter Set Tab

File Structure

The file structure for this External Connection system within the user-specified working directory (which

for the purpose of this example is D:/ExternalConnection) is:D:/ExternalConnection/Squares/SquaresCongfig.xmlD:/ExternalConnection/Squares/Squares.exeD:/ExternalConnection/Squares/input.txtD:/ExternalConnection/Squares/ouput.txt

Component Configuration XML File

The Component Configuration File (SquaresConfig.xml) defines the input and output types andcalls the executable file Squares.exe.

input.txt 1 input= Double output.txt 1 output= Double D:/ExternalConnection/Squares/Squares.exe



User Interface Button Definition

This example illustrates an external connection that defines a button and provides the script to execute

upon button invocation.

Figure 9: Button Example

File Structure

The file structure for this External Connection solution within the directory C:/ProgramFiles/Ansys Inc/v150/Addins/ExternalConnection is:Customization\CustomToolBarConfiguration.xmlCustomization\Images\custom.pngCustomization\Scripts\pipe1.py

Note

This example uses the installation Customization location. You could instead choose a user-

specific location to limit custom UI additions to a specific user.

UI Configuration XML File

The UI Configuration File (CustomToolBarConfiguration.xml) defines a GUI operation and callsthe Python file pipe.py to enable the button.

Type="ToolbarButton" SourceType="Python"/>

Instruction File

The Instruction file (pipe1.py) contains the Python code that displays a message box.

import clrclr.AddReference("Ans.UI.Toolkit")clr.AddReference("Ans.UI.toolkit.Base")

from Ansys.UI.Toolkit import *

Ansys.UI.Toolkit.MessageBox.Show("Example!")


This example implements a mesh transfer system. It consumes an upstream mesh and passes it to a

downstream Fluent system.

Figure 10: End-to-End Mesh Transfer Between Mesh, Mesher, and Fluent Setup

File Structure

The file structure for this External Connection system within the directory C:/Program Files/AnsysInc/v150/Addins/ExternalConnection/SystemDefinitions is:/GenericMeshTransfer/GenericMeshTransferSystem.xml/GenericMeshTransfer/Mesher.xml/GenericMeshTransfer/test.py/GenericMeshTransfer/GenericMesh_cell.png/GenericMeshTransfer/GenericMesh.png



System Definition XML File

The System Definition XML file (GenericMeshTransferSystem.xml) defines a system namedGeneric Mesh, which appears under External Connection Systems in the Workbench Toolbox, as shown.

Figure 11: Toolbox System Entry

The file, GenericMeshTransferSystem.xml, contains the following code:

MeshingMesh SimulationGeneratedMesh

Component Configuration File

The Component Configuration File (Mesher.xml) calls the Python file test.py.

C:/Program Files/Ansys Inc/v150/Addins/ExternalConnection/SystemDefinitions/GenericMeshTransfer/test.py




Update Instruction

The Update Instruction file (test.py) contains the Python code that provides instructions for passingthe mesh data to the downstream Fluent system.

#obtain input datacontainer = ExternalConnectionSystemContainerupstreamData = container.GetInputDataByType(InputType="MeshingMesh")meshFileRef = NoneupstreamDataCount = upstreamData.Countif upstreamDataCount > 0: meshFileRef = upstreamData[0] #set our output so that we are just a pass through. outputRefs = container.GetOutputData() meshOutputSet = outputRefs["SimulationGeneratedMesh"] meshOutput = meshOutputSet[0] #meshOutput.MeshFile = meshFileRef meshOutput.TransferFile = meshFileRef#if no new data...nothing to process from upstream sources.

Material Transfer

This example implements a material transfer system that passes MatML-formatted material data to a

downstream Engineering Data system.

Figure 12: Engineering Data View



Figure 13: Schematic View

File Structure

The file structure for this External Connection system within the directory C:/Program Files/AnsysInc/v150/Addins/ExternalConnection/SystemDefinitions is:/GenericMaterialTransfer/GenericMaterialTransferSystem.xml/GenericMaterialTransfer/Material.xml/GenericMaterialTransfer/test.py/GenericMaterialTransfer/Sample_Materials.xml/GenericMaterialTransfer/GenericMaterial_cell.png/GenericMaterialTransfer/GenericMaterial.png

System Definition XML File

The System Definition XML file (GenericMaterialTransferSystem.xml) defines a system namedGeneric Material, which appears under External Connection Systems in the Workbench Toolbox, as

shown.


The file, GenericMaterialTransferSystem.xml, contains the following code:

MatML31



Material Transfer

Component Configuration File

The Component Configuration File (Material.xml) calls the Python file test.py.

C:/Program Files/ANSYS Inc/v150/Addins/ExternalConnection/SystemDefinitions/GenericMaterialTransfer/test.py

Update Instruction

The Update Instruction file (test.py) contains the Python code that provides instructions for passingthe MatML-formatted material data to a downstream Engineering Data system

container = ExternalConnectionSystemContainermatFilePath = r"C:\Program Files\Ansys Inc\v150\Addins\ExternalConnection\SystemDefinitions\GenericMaterialTransfer\Sample_Materials.xml"matFileRef = NoneisRegistered = IsFileRegistered(FilePath=matFilePath)if isRegistered == True: matFileRef = GetRegisteredFile(matFilePath)else: matFileRef = RegisterFile(FilePath=matFilePath) AssociateFileWithContainer(matFileRef, container)outputRefs = container.GetOutputData()matOutputSet = outputRefs["MatML31"]matOutput = matOutputSet[0]matOutput.TransferFile = matFileRef

Material File

This file (Sample_Materials.xml) contains the MatML-formatted material data:

Sample Material Sample material from Driver -

494.1474492,912.7972764,1172.453938,1941.495468,2803.754154,3869.063522,5245.395513,10378.82012,18192.58268,28438.67868,57755.1982,94951.87682,135751.6191,178064.7612,216504.4272,261538.9311,304701.5076,333300.2826,364061.2544,397079.5705,432533.1159,457543.8578,483751.5301

Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent,Dependent 0.1338,0.2675,0.3567,0.6242,0.8917,1.1592,1.4268,2.051,2.586,3.0318,3.7898,4.3694,4.8153,5.172,5.4395,5.707,5.9299,6.0637,6.1975,6.3312,6.465,6.5541,6.6433



Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent,Independent - 1 Linear;Isotropic Value Stress Pa Strain m m Sample Property Driver Link Details


This example implements a custom transfer from a producing system to a consuming system.

Figure 15: Schematic View

File Structure

The file structure for this External Connection system within the directory C:/Program Files/AnsysInc/v150/Addins/ExternalConnection/SystemDefinitions is:/CustomTransfer/CustomTransferProducerSystem.xml/CustomTransfer/CustomTransferConsumerSystem.xml/CustomTransfer/Producer.xml




/CustomTransfer/Consumer.xml/CustomTransfer/Producer.py/CustomTransfer/Consumer.py/CustomTransfer/Sample_Materials.xml/CustomTransfer/Generic_cell.png/CustomTransfer/Generic.png

Producer System Definition XML File

The System Definition XML file (CustomTransferProducerSystem.xml) defines a system namedProducer, which appears under External Connection Systems in the Workbench Toolbox, as shown.


The file, CustomTransferProducerSystem.xml, contains the following code:

MyData

Producer Component Configuration File

The Component Configuration File (Producer.xml) calls the Python file producer.py.

C:/Program Files/ANSYS Inc/v150/Addins/ExternalConnection/SystemDefinitions/CustomTransfer/producer.py



Producer Update Instruction

The Update Instruction file (producer.py) contains the Python code that provides update instructionsfor the producing system.

container = ExternalConnectionSystemContainerfilePath = r"C:\Program Files\Ansys Inc\v150\Addins\ExternalConnection\SystemDefinitions\CustomTransfer\Sample_Materials.xml"fileRef = NoneisRegistered = IsFileRegistered(FilePath=filePath)if isRegistered == True: fileRef = GetRegisteredFile(filePath)else: fileRef = RegisterFile(FilePath=filePath) AssociateFileWithContainer(fileRef, container)outputRefs = container.GetOutputData()outputSet = outputRefs["MyData"]myData = outputSet[0]myData.TransferFile = fileRef

Consumer System Definition XML File

The System Definition XML file (CustomTransferConsumerSystem.xml) defines a system namedConsumer, which appears under External Connection Systems in the Workbench Toolbox, as shown

in Figure 16: Toolbox System Entry (p. 30).

MyData

Consumer Component Configuration File

The Component Configuration File (Consumer.xml) calls the Python file consumer.py.

C:/Program Files/Ansys Inc/v150/Addins/ExternalConnection/SystemDefinitions/CustomTransfer/consumer.py

Consumer Update Instruction

The Update Instruction file (consumer.py) contains the Python code that provides update instructionsfor the consuming component to obtain the output data from the upstream producer.

#obtain input datacontainer=ExternalConnectionSystemContainerupstreamData=container.GetInputDataByType(InputType="MyData")fileRef=NoneupstreamDataCount=upstreamData.Countif upstreamDataCount>0: fileRef=upstreamData[0]#if no new data...nothing to process from upstream sources.




Appendix A. Data Transfer Types

This appendix discusses the following:

Data Transfer Types

Data Transfer Types

The following table lists supported transfer types and their corresponding transfer properties.

Table 1: Data Transfer Types and Properties

PropertyTransfer Type

AnsoftHeatLossDataObject

AnsoftTransferXMLString

AnsoftProjectResultsFolderAtCurrent-

DP

AnsoftForceDataObject



DP

AnsoftForceAndMomentDataOb-

ject



DP

AnsoftCellInOutEntity

FeedbackIteratorEntity

MAPDLSolution

TransferFile

AuxiliaryFiles

MAPDLDatabse

TransferFile

AuxiliaryFiles

MAPDLResults

AuxiliaryFiles

MAPDLCdb

TransferFile

AuxiliaryFiles

AqwaModel




AqwaSetup

AqwaSolution

AqwaResults

AutodynSetup

CFDAnalysis

PostStateFile

CFXSetup

CFXSolverInputFile

MAPDLSolverInputFile

CFXSolution

MResLoadOption

CFXResultsFile

AuxiliaryFiles

MAPDLResultsFile

Geometry

GeometryFilePath

PlugInName

ParametricContext

DOEModel

DesignPointsDataTransfer

ResponseSurfaceModel

ResponseSurfaceDatTransfer

OptimizationModel

CorrelationModel

ROModel

EngineeringData

TransferFile

Material

ExternalDataSetup

TransferFile

ExternalModelOutputProvider

TransferFile

InputFiles

SolidSectionData

TransferFile

AuxiliaryFiles

CompositeSectionFiles

EnhancedModelData


Data Transfer Types


FEMMesh

ACMOFile

FEMSetup

FEModelerFile

ANSYSInputFile

ParasolidFile

FiniteElementModelMaterials

AuxiliaryFiles

FluentTGridMesh

TransferFile

FluentSetup

CaseFile

ModelInfoFile

SystemCouplingSetupData

FluentCase

MeshFile

TransferFile

FluentSolution

CaseFile

DataFile

ICEData

IcePakSetup

IcePakResults

MechanicalModel

File

EdaFile

MeshingMesh

TransferFile

SimulationGeneratedMesh

TransferFile

MSExcelSetup

CouplingSetupProvider

TransferFile

PolyflowSetup

PolyflowSolutionType

DataFile

PubFile

GeneratedFiles



Data Transfer Types


PolyflowSolution

MechanicalModel

MechanicalMesh

TransferFile

SimulationEngineeringData

TransferFiles

SimulationModelGener-

atedMesh

TransferFile

SimulationSetup

MechanicalSetup

TransferFile

MechanicalSolution

SimulationSolutionDataInternal

SimulationSolution

MechanicalResults

SimulationResults

TurboGeometry

INFFilename

GeometryFilename

TurboMesh

FileName

CFXMesh

FileName

PreFileType

FluentImportable

MeshFile

FileType

Dimension

VistaGeometry

GeoData

TransferData

VistaTFPhysics

TransferData

VistaCCDBlaseDesignProvider

TransferData

VistaAFDMeanlineProvider

TransferData

VistaAFDDesignProvider


Data Transfer Types


TransferData

VistaTFSetup

ControlFilename

GeoFilename

AeroFilename

CorrelationsFilename

VistaTFSolution

ResultsFile

RestartFile

FeedbackIteratorSetup

AUTODYN_Remap

MatML31

TransferFile

CompositeEngineeringData

TransferFile

FluentMesh

TransferFile

PolyflowTransferMesh

TransferFile



Data Transfer Types

Appendix B. ANSYS Workbench Component Inputs and Outputs

This appendix discusses the following:

Component Input and Outputs Table


The following table lists component inputs and outputs supported by the External Connection.

Table 2: Component Input and Outputs

OutputInputComponentSystem

Autodyn

Setup

AutodynSetupAUTODYN_Remap

MechanicalSetup

SimulationGener-

atedMesh

Analysis

NoneNone

BladeGen

Blade Design

TurboGeometryNone

BladeGen (Beta)

Blade Design

TurboGeometryNone

VistaGeometry

CFX (Beta)

Setup

CFXSetupSimulationGener-

atedMesh

CFXMesh

MechanicalSetup

Solution

CFXSolutionCFXSetup

CFXSolution

CFX

Setup



CFXSetupSimulationGener-

atedMesh

CFXMesh

MechanicalSetup

Solution

CFXSolutionCFXSetup

CFXSolution

Results

CFXSolution

FluentSolution

VistaTFSolution

IcePakResults


MechanicalSolution

ICEData

Design Assessment

Engineering Data

EngineeringDataFEMSetup

MaterialMatML31

Geometry

GeometryFEMSetup

TurboGeometry

AnsoftCADObject

ICEData

Model

MechanicalModelSimulationEngineering-

Data

MechanicalMeshSimulationModelGener-

atedMesh

SimulationGener-

atedMesh

CompositeEngineering-

Data

SimulationEngin-

eeringData

SolidSectionData

SimulationModel-

GeneratedMesh

ExternalModelOutputPro-

vider

ExternalDataSetup

EngineeringData

Geometry

Setup

SimulationSetupMechanicalModel

MechanicalSetupMechanicalMesh


ANSYS Workbench Component Inputs and Outputs

Simulation-

SolutionDataInternal

MechanicalSolution

Solution

MechanicalSolu-

tion

SimulationSetup

Simulation-

SolutionDataIntern-

al

SimulationSolution

Results

MechanicalResultsSimulationSolution

SimulationResults

Direct Optimization

Optimization

OptimizationModelDesignPointsDataTrans-

fer

Electric

Engineering Data


MaterialMatML31

Geometry

GeometryFEMSetup

TurboGeometry

AnsoftCADObject

ICEData

Model


Data


atedMesh

SimulationGener-

atedMesh


Data

SimulationEngin-

eeringData

SolidSectionData

SimulationModel-

GeneratedMesh


vider

ExternalDataSetup

EngineeringData

Geometry

Setup






Simulation-


Solution

MechanicalSolu-

tion

SimulationSetup

Simulation-

SolutionDataIntern-

al

SimulationSolution

Results


SimulationResults

Engineering Data

Engineering Data


MaterialMatML31

Explicit Dynamics

Engineering Data


MaterialMatML31

Geometry

GeometryFEMSetup

TurboGeometry

AnsoftCADObject

ICEData

Model


Data


atedMesh

SimulationGener-

atedMesh


Data

SimulationEngin-

eeringData

SolidSectionData

SimulationModel-

GeneratedMesh


vider

ExternalDataSetup

EngineeringData

Geometry

Setup





Simulation-


EnhancedMechanicalM-

odel

EnhancedModelData

Solution

MechanicalSolu-

tion

SimulationSetup

Simulation-

SolutionDataIntern-

al

SimulationSolution

Results


SimulationResults

Explicit Dynamics

(LS-DYNA Export)

Engineering Data


MaterialMatML31

Geometry

GeometryFEMSetup

TurboGeometry

AnsoftCADObject

ICEData

Model


Data


atedMesh

SimulationGener-

atedMesh


Data

SimulationEngin-

eeringData

SolidSectionData

SimulationModel-

GeneratedMesh


vider

ExternalDataSetup

EngineeringData

Geometry

Setup






External Data

Setup

ExternalDataSetupNone

External Model

Setup

ExternalModelOut-

putProvider

None

External Connection

External Connection

ExternalConnec-

tionProperties

None

Finite Element

Modeler

Model

FEMMeshMechanicalSetup

FEMSetupSimulationGener-

atedMesh

GeometryMAPDLCdb

FEMSetup

SolidSectionData


Data

SimulationEngineering-

Data

FLTG

Mesh

FluentTGridMeshFluentMesh

Setup

FluentSetupFluentImportable

SystemCoupling-

SetupData

AnsoftHeatLossDataOb-

ject

FluentMesh

FluentCase

SimulationGener-

atedMesh

ICEData

ICESetupData

FluentTGridMesh

Solution

FluentSolutionFluentSetup



FluentSolution

Fluent

Setup

FluentSetupFluentImportable

SystemCoupling-

SetupData

AnsoftHeatLossDataOb-

ject

FluentMesh

FluentCase

SimulationGener-

atedMesh

ICEData

ICESetupData

FluentTGridMesh

Solution

FluentSolutionFluentSetup

FluentSolution

Fluid Flow Blow

Molding (Polyflow)

Geometry

GeometryFEMSetup

TurboGeometry

AnsoftCADObject

ICEData

Mesh

MechanicalModelGeometry

MeshingMeshMeshingGener-

atedMeshOutputPro-

vider

SimulationGener-

atedMesh

MeshingGener-

atedMeshOutput-

Provider

Setup

PolyflowSetupSimulationGener-

atedMesh


Solution

PolyflowSolution-

Type

PolyflowSetup

PolyflowSolutionPolyflowSolution

ExternalDataSetup




Results

CFXSolution

FluentSolution

VistaTFSolution

IcePakResults


MechanicalSolution

ICEData

Fluid Flow Extru-

sion (Polyflow)

Geometry

GeometryFEMSetup

TurboGeometry

AnsoftCADObject

ICEData

Mesh

MechanicalModelGeometry

MeshingMeshMeshingGener-

atedMeshOutputPro-

vider

SimulationGener-

atedMesh

MeshingGener-

atedMeshOutput-

Provider

Setup

PolyflowSetupSimulationGener-

atedMesh


Solution

PolyflowSolution-

Type

PolyflowSetup

PolyflowSolutionPolyflowSolution

ExternalDataSetup

Results

CFXSolution

FluentSolution

VistaTFSolution

IcePakResults


MechanicalSolution


ANSYS Workbench Component I

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