MSC.

Software
Tel. 800.766.6615 Fax. 650.574.7541 http://www.vndesktop.com
Created & last updated 6/12/2003 by Terry Denery, Paul Mitiguy, and Michael Woo
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Welcome to MSC.visualNastran 4D

MSC.visualNastran 4D is the result of a twelve-year collaborative effort between professional engineers and software specialists. We
are committed to providing you easy-to-use, engineering software that makes you more productive, and saves time and money on
hardware prototyping, testing, and redesigns.

To get started, install MSC.visualNastran 4D (vN4D) and go through each step described below.
If you have any questions, please call us toll-free at 800.766.6615




1.0 Installing MSC.visualNastran 4D

1. If you have a previous version of vN4D installed on your
computer, uninstall it.
2. Close all application before beginning the installation.
3. Insert the enclosed CD into the CD-Rom drive. The
installation program should start automatically. If it does not,
using Windows Explorer, browse to the root directory of the
CD and double-click on setup.exe to launch the installation
program
4. After InstallShield prepares for installation (one minute),
follow the on-screen instructions. When the Select Options
screen appears, select the Evaluation radio button. On the
screen that follows, select Evaluate MSC.visualNastran 4D
2003. Next, select the relevant features that you want
installed (default features are normally sufficient), and click
[Next]. On the next screen, select a scratch directory and
then click [Next]. Installation will take several minutes.
5. Note: An evaluation copy allows you full use, except Save
and Export, for 45 days. For Save/Export capability, email
[email protected] for a 2-week FlexLM
license.
6. When the installation is nearly finished, you may be asked to
restart your computer. After restarting your computer,
InstallShield will complete the installation (be patient).


1.1 Starting MSC.visualNastran 4D
1. Ensure that vN4D is installed on your computer.
2. From the Start Menu, click on Programs, then
MSC.visualNastran Desktop, and then MSC.visualNastran
4D 2003. This opens a new document.
3. If the splash-screen Whats New in this Version appears,
close it.

1.2 Creating a Falling Block
1. The first simulation is Newtons first experiment, dropping a
block.
2. To draw a solid block, click (the Box tool) and notice a
grid appears. Single-click somewhere on the grid and then
single-click on another spot on the grid to sketch the boxs
base. Move the mouse to vertically extrude the block, and
single-click to finish.



3. To run the simulation and see the block fall due to gravity,
click the Run button at the bottom of the window.
4. To reset the simulation, click the Reset button on the
bottom left of the window.
5. Double-click on the block to open the Properties window.
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6. In the Properties window, click on the Appearance tab and
check the boxes for Center of mass shown and
Translucent. Click on the color box to pick a color.



7. In the Properties window, click on the Pos tab and enter the
values as indicated below.



8. In the Properties window, click on the Material tab and enter
1 kg for Mass.
9. In the Properties window, click on the Box tab and enter the
values as indicated below.



10. Click [Close] to close the Properties window.
11. To re-run the simulation, click the Run button .
12. Click to reset the simulation.


1.3 Making a Pendulum
1. Press F to look at the Front-view of the block.
2. Click on the workspace (the window with the solid block) to
de-select the block.
3. On the Create Constraint tool , click the down arrow ,
and select Revolute Joint (as shown in the next figure).



4. Click on the front surface of the block near the upper left
hand corner and press [Enter].



5. To run the pendulum simulation, click the Run button .
6. Click to reset the simulation.

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1.4 Graphing the Pendulums Motion
1. To graph the pendulums motion, click on the block. Choose
the Insert menu, select Meter, and then Orientation.
2. Click to run and then click to reset.
3. If you prefer to view numbers rather than graphs, right-click
on the graph and select Digital.




1.5 Adding a Spring-Damper
1. To de-select the graph, click on the workspace.
2. On the Create Constraint tool , click the down arrow ,
and select Linear Spring/Damper (as shown below).



3. Click on the block near the upper right-hand corner of the
pendulum and then click on the workspace above the first
point, as shown in the figure below.
4. Click to run the simulation and then click to reset.




1.6 Controlling the Spring Constant
1. With the spring selected, select the Insert menu, select
Control, and then select Spring Constant. Click [OK] to
select the slider.
2. To see the effect of varying the spring constant, click and
observe that the motion of the pendulum is a function of the
spring constant (slide the slider from left to right while the
simulation is running).
3. Click to reset the simulation.




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1.7 Importing a Cam
vN4D can import CAD geometry from all major neutral formats,
including ACIS, CATIA, Parasolids, STEP, IGES, and STL.

1. To import a cam into the simulation, choose the Insert
menu, select Body, and then Geometry Click the vN
Shortcuts button on the left, double-click on the
EvaluationKit folder and then open SampleCam.sat.



2. Enter the value of 1000 in the spring constant slider.
3. Click and observe that the cam falls through the
pendulum due to gravity.
4. Click to reset the simulation.


1.8 Collisions with Cam
1. To make the cam collide with the pendulum, select the cam,
then hold down the [Ctrl] key while you click and select the
pendulum. Choose the Object menu, select Collide.
2. Click to run. Notice that vN4D does automatic contact
detection and response, and the cam bounces and rolls off
the pendulum.
3. Click to reset.






1.9 Creating a Cam-Follower
Mechanism with a Motor
1. Click on the workspace to de-select the cam.
2. On the Create Constraint tool , click the down arrow ,
and select Revolute Motor (as shown below). Click on the
circular edge of the protruding shaft on the front face of the
cam, and press [Enter]. (Clicking on the edge will place the
motor at the center of the circle.)



3. Click to run. Observe that the cam is now being rotated
by the motor.
4. To change the orientation of the pendulum, click on the
Move tool, click and hold the pendulum and drag the mouse
to rotate the pendulum counterclockwise until it rotates pass
the cam, as shown in the next figure. Release the mouse
button to set position.



5. Click to run. Observe that the pendulums motion is
determined by the shape of the cam and the motors speed.
6. Click to reset.

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7. To close the file, select the File menu and click Close. Do
not save changes.
8. To check that you constructed the simulation properly,
choose the File menu, select Open. Then click on the vN
Shortcuts button on the left. Double-click on the
EvaluationKit folder and double-click EvaluationKit.wm3.


2.1 CAD Integration
vN4D has associative integration and performs motion and FEA
analysis on parts and assemblies imported directly from major
CAD systems. To try CAD integration on a compressor:

1. Choose the File menu, select Open, and click on the
vN Shortcuts button on the left. Double-click on the
EvaluationKit folder and follow the CAD-specific directions.
vN4D will launch your CAD system.

a. Inventor: Double-click on the InventorPiston folder and open
the file PistonAssy.iam
b. Solid Edge: Double-click on the SolidEdgePiston folder and
open the file PistonAssy.asm
c. SolidWorks: Double-click on the SolidWorksPiston folder and
open the file PistonAssy.sldasm
d. If none of these CAD systems is installed on your computer,
open the visualNastran 4D file PistonBegin.wm3, which
contains a piston assembly imported from SolidWorks.



2. Click to run. Observe that after several seconds, the
piston assembly tumbles due to gravity.
3. Click to reset.
2.2 Driving the Crankshaft with a
Motor
1. At this point, the crankshaft rotates freely because it is
constrained by a revolute joint. To drive the piston, we will
convert this revolute joint to a revolute motor. This revolute
joint connects the crankshaft to the fixed piece called
Anchor.
2. Click on the Anchor to see the revolute joint appear in the
Connections window (see picture below). The revolute joint
is identified by a green circular symbol. Double-click on this
constraint to open the Properties window.
3. In the Properties window, choose the Appearance tab and
rename the constraint Crank1Constraint.
4. In the Properties window, choose the Constraint tab, scroll
down to Revolute Motor, select it, and press [Close].



5. Click to run. Notice the crankshaft is moving at a
constant angular velocity.
6. Click to reset.


2.3 Defining Part-to-Part Contact
1. To create part-to-part contact between the piston head and
the connecting rod, select the PistonHead, and while holding
down [Ctrl], select the ConnectingRod.
2. Choose the Object menu, select Collide.



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3. Click to run. Notice that the motion is affected by the
contact between the parts.
4. Click to reset.


2.4 Defining Vertical Motion with a Slot
Joint
1. To complete the model, the piston heads motion needs to
be confined to a vertical slot (cylinder).
2. Click on the workspace to de-select all components.
3. On the Create Constraint tool , click the down arrow ,
and select Revolute Joint on Slot, as shown below.



4. Click on the top face of the piston head, and press [Enter].



5. Click and observe the motion of the piston assembly.
6. Click to reset.


2.5 Measuring Force on Connecting
Rod and Angular Velocity of Motor
1. To measure the force on the connecting rod by the revolute
joint, select the constraint between the crank and the
connecting rod.
2. Choose the Insert menu, select Meter, then Constraint
Force, and then click [OK].
3. To measure the angular velocity of the motor, choose the
motor from the Components list. From the Insert menu,
select Meter, and then Angular Velocity.



4. Click and observe the force exerted on the connecting
rod by the revolute joint and the velocity of the motor.
5. Click to reset.

2.6 Changing Units
1. You can change a wide range of settings in vN4D, including
units, number of digits, colors. To change units, from the
World menu, select Display Settings
2. In the Settings dialog box, click on Units (under Display
Settings) in the left pane.
3. Change the Unit System to SI (degrees)
4. Change the Rot. Vel. unit to rpm and click [Close].



2.7 Changing a Velocity Motor to a
Torque Motor
1. To change the default motor (an angular velocity motor) to a
torque motor, right-click on Crank1Constraint in the
Component List and select Properties.
2. In the Properties window, navigate to the Motor tab,
select the Torque radio button, set the value to 50 N-m, and
click [Close].
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3. Click and observe the motion and measurements.
4. Click to reset.



2.8 Changing Animation Display Rate
1. Notice that in the previous step, the piston rotates too
quickly and looks choppy. To smooth the animation, select
the World menu, select Simulation Settings, click on
Integration (in the left pane), change the Animation Frame
Rate to 2000 /s, and press [Enter].



2. Click [Close].
3. Click and observe the motion.
4. When the Angular Velocity is about 20,000 RPM, click .

2.9 FEA and Factor of Safety
1. To perform FEA (Finite Element Analysis) on the connecting
rod, right-click on it, and select Include in FEA and make
sure the simulation is at Frame 0 by clicking .



2. Click (Solve FEA button) on the bottom left of the vN4D
window.
3. Click [OK] to close the Redundant constraint warning.
4. Note the FEA results shown on the connecting rod and the
associated color legend on the left-hand side.



5. To see the factor of safety, right-click on the color legend,
and select Factor of Safety. The entire connecting rod and
color legend are blue, signifying that it has a factor of safety
higher than 1. At this speed, the rod is structurally sound.

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6. Drag the Run Control Slider all the way to the right, click on
(Step Backward) and/or (Step Forward) to move the
connecting rod to an approximately upright position.
7. Click (Solve FEA button) and notice that at the higher
speed, the connecting rod no longer passes the factor of
safety test.
8. To see the final version of the simulation, you can open
PistonFinished.wm3 in the same directory where
PistonBegin.wm3 was found.



3.1 MATLAB/SimuLink Integration
vN4D takes mechanical simulation to the next dimension by
merging CAD, motion, FEA, and controls technologies in a single
functional modeling system. The vN4D paradigm is summarized:

Draw it. Move it. Break it. Control it.

The new vN4D MATLAB/SimuLink feature allows you to do fully
integrated comprehensive control system tests on detailed
mechanical models with:

Accurate representations of physical parts, contact,
collision, friction, and forces
Detailed representations of sensors, actuators, filters,
etc., from the powerful MATLAB/SimuLink language
Create presentation-quality photo-realistic movies



3.2 Creating a Movie
1. You can create an .avi movie from any vN4D simulation.
Note: The movie-export capability is disabled in the
evaluation version of vN4D. To purchase a licensed version,
call 800.766.6615.
2. Choose the File menu, select Open and click on the vN
Shortcuts button on the left. Double-click on the
EvaluationKit folder, then double-click on the
MatlabIntegration folder, and double-click on
PistonMatlabIntegration.avi to watch the movie.