structure liner import command

Syntax

structure liner import keyword

Primary keywords:

from-file    from-geometry

Create a liner as a collection of beam finite elements, where the elements are obtained from an outside source. Newly created nodes will attach to the first valid object (e.g., zones in FLAC2D) found at their location, with attachment conditions appropriate to a liner (see this table in the topic Structural Element Links). If the liner is on the outer surface of an object (i.e., not an embedded liner), then the y-axes of the elements must point away from the body to which the liner is attached. This condition is NOT enforced automatically; thus, it may be necessary to reverse the direction of the element normals. The direction of the element normals can be viewed with the liner plot item by setting the System attribute to Element. A liner can also be created by the structure liner create command.

from-file s [liner2dimportblock]

Create elements from the geometry file s

from-geometry s [liner2dimportblock] <range>

Create elements from the geometry set named s. The range applies to the list of edges in the geometry set.

structure liner import Keyword Block

The following keywords may be supplied after the two primary keywords

distinct

Eliminate sharing of nodes among created elements. Every element will create a new set of nodes, even if they are at the same location in space and elements share the same ID number. This option is most commonly used with a later structure node join command to create links connecting nodes at the same location in order to apply custom inter-element behavior.

embedded

Specify that this liner is two-sided. If the embedded keyword is used, then the internal keyword is implied, even if not explicitly given.

format keyword

Specify the format of the file. Can only be given with the from-file keyword.

This keyword can only be used with the following keywords of the structure liner import command: from-file.

dxf

Specify the DXF file format.

geom

Specify the geometry file format.

stl

Specify the STL file format.

group s1 <slot s2 >

Assign the created elements to group s1. The group is assigned to the slot named s2 if supplied; it is assigned to the slot named Default if not. Use of the group logic is described in Groups.

id i

Specify the ID (this is the collection ID) that will be assigned to all new elements created by this command. If this value is not given, then the next available ID will be used. The ID controls potential joining of the element nodes to an existing element as follows. At each potential new node location, a new node is created unless all of the following conditions are fulfilled: 1) the ID is given; 2) an existing node is found “near” the potential new node location; and 3) the found node is part of an element of the same type with ID equal to i.

maximum-length f

Break the element into segments no greater than length f. The segments setting, if provided, is overridden as needed by this setting.

offset v

Offset the created liner elements from the imported geometry along the vector v

segments i

Break the element into i equal segments, creating new nodes as needed. The default value is 1, indicating that only one element will be created.