zone validate command

Syntax

zone validate keyword ...

Primary keywords:

group    vector    surface

Note

This command is new and experimental. Use it as a sanity check of the result of a zone attach by-face command. Note also that currently it does not take into account interfaces, so these will probably show up as unconstrained areas.

Attempt to validate the model by performing checks for common errors or omissions in the model setup.

Currently, the command attempts to discover internal gridpoints that are “unconstrained”, generally due to a failure to attach them properly. This most commonly happens because of non-planar faces that require higher than default tolerances in the zone attach by-face command.

Potential unconstrained directions are determined using the normal vector to any surface faces attached to the gridpoint. Potential unconstrained directions are removed by adding constraints due to zones they are connected to, attach conditions, or fixity conditions. In general, there is a 45 degree tolerance used to determine if a constraint removes a possible unconstrained direction.

All surface faces attached to gridpoints that appear to have a direction that is unconstrained will be tagged with the group name Unconstrained in the slot Validate. Note that any existing face group assignments in the given slot will be deleted. The group name and slot used can be controlled with the group keyword.

By default, both external and internal surfaces that are not internal (meaning they have open space next to them with no zones) are removed, although this can be turned off using the surface keyword.

If the vector is set to true, then any current user defined vectors (see the command data vector create) are deleted and new ones are created to represent any unconstrained directions detected. The base of the vector will correspond to the gridpoint, and the direction will be the direction that was determined to be unconstrained.

The easiest way to visualize the result is to make a Zone Face plot, showing Grouped faces, with a Group range element that selects the group and slot used.

The available keywords are:

group sgroup <slot sslot >

Specify the group name assigned to surface faces attached to gridpoints that appear unconstrained. By default the group name used is Unconstrained. The slot keyword may be used to override the slot the group name is assigned to, which by default is Validate. Note that all group assignments on faces in that slot are removed before validation.

vector b

If true, delete all user defined vector data and fill it with the location and direction of unconstrained gridpoints. The default is false.

surface b

If true, the system attempts to determine if an unconstrained direction represents an internal excavation or an external surface, by looking to see if a zone exists in that direction. If no zone is found, it is assumed the unconstrained direction represents a deliberate free surface and it is removed. The default is true.