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 ANSYS 7.0 Workbench Environment...

Connections and Plug-Ins


By Rufus Blackley, Consulting Engineer
Ohio Computer Aided Engineering, Inc.

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When using the ANSYS 7.0 Workbench Environment Interface (AWE)there is a requirement to have a Connection and/or Plug-In/Reader product; geometry cannot be generated in the Workbench Environment. (You can continue to generate geometry in the Classic Environment as in the past, but it can't be transferred to the Workbench Environment). You can also generate geometry in the Analysis Geometry Processor (AGP), which is an add-on module for the Workbench Environment. AGP will also work with the Connection and/or Plug-In/Reader products.

Like the Connection products for the Classic Environment, the Connection and/or Plug-In/Reader products for the Workbench Environment provide easy transfer of CAD geometry into ANSYS, Inc. analysis products. The difference between the Plug-In and the Reader is that the Plug-In is fully associative to a CAD system, where the Reader is a static geometry format.

There have been many questions about the Connection vs. the Plug-In/Reader for the Workbench Environment and/or AGP Environment. The following information will clarify this issue.

Connector Image

The following Connection products for the ANSYS Classic Environment interface will work in the ANSYS 7.0 Workbench Environment and/or the AGP Environment.

  1. Connection for Pro/ENGINEER
  2. Connection for Unigraphics
  3. Connection for CATIA V4
  4. Connection for CATIA V5 (excluding UNIX workstations)
  5. Connection for SAT
  6. Connection for Parasolid

Plug Image

The following Plug-In products for DesignSpace interface will work in the ANSYS 7.0 Workbench Environment and/or the AGP Environment.

  1. Plug-In for Inventor
  2. Plug-In for Mechanical Desktop
  3. Plug-In for Solid Edge
  4. Plug-In for SolidWorks

No Plug-In

The following Plug-In/Reader products for DesignSpace interface, will NOT work in the ANSYS 7.0 Workbench Environment and/or the AGP Environment.

  1. Plug-In for Pro/ENGINEER
  2. Plug-In for Unigraphics
  3. Reader for CATIA V5
  4. Reader for CATIA V4
  5. Reader for SAT
  6. Reader for Parasolid

The advantage in having a Connection product for the Classic Environment is that it provides an easy transfer of CAD geometry. It is now just as easy to transfer CAD geometry to the Workbench Environment. If you are using Connection for Pro/ENGINEER, Unigraphics, and/or the Plug-In for Inventor, Mechanical Desktop, Solid Edge or SolidWorks, data is fully associative with the related CAD system.

Connection/
Reader/
Plug-In		 Works in Classic Works in WBE Transfers Geometry Associativity
Connection for Pro/E YES YES YES YES
Connection for UG YES YES YES YES
Connection for CATIA 4 YES YES YES NO
Connection for CATIA 5 YES YES YES NO
Connection for SAT YES YES YES NO
Connection for Parasolid YES YES YES NO
DS Plug-In for Inventor/MDT NO YES YES YES
DS Plug-In for Solid Edge NO YES YES YES
DS Plug-In for SolidWorks NO YES YES YES
DS Plug-In for Pro/E NO NO YES YES
DS Plug-In for UG NO NO YES YES
DS Reader for CATIA 5 NO NO NO NO
DS Reader for CATIA 4 NO NO NO NO
DS Reader for SAT NO NO NO NO
DS Reader for Parasolid NO NO NO NO

Contact your Ohio CAE, Inc. or AET Sales Professional for more information on Connection and Plug-In/Reader Products.

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