Altair .flx File

An Altair .flx file is required to animate ADAMS transient or linear results that contain flexible bodies in HyperView.

A .flx file requires *.gra (for rigid body graphics), *.res (for rigid and flex results) and N *.h3d files (flexbodies; converted from .mnf via the Flex Prep tool). The .h3d file contains the node and element information required to generate the flexbody graphics.

The ALTAIR .flx file is generated automatically if MotionView's pre-processor is used to generate the ADAMS model. If MotionView is not used to generate the ADAMS model, you can generate the Altair .flx file by using the Flex File Gen Custom Wizard, located on the Tools menu.

An example .flx file:

*ModelSource("double_link.gra")	
*ResultSource("double_link.res")
*FlexSource("../h3d_flexbodies/link_flex.h3d", 1,
*FlexSource("../h3d_flexbodies/link_flex.h3d", 2,

Commands supported in the .flx file include:

*ModelSource()
*ResultSource()
*FlexSource()
*TempFileDirectory()

*ModelSource(), *ResultSource(), and *FlexSource() assemble all necessary information for animation. *TempFileDirectory() allows you to define the directory to which scratch files are written.

*ModelSource(string)	Defines the source of the file containing rigid body graphics.
*ResultSource(string)	Defines the source of the file containing flexbody modal participation factors as well as rigid body time histories.
*FlexSource(string, body_id,scale)	Defines the source of the graphics for the flexbody as well as identifying the ID of the flexbody in the solver input deck and animation scale.
*TempFileDirectory("string")	Allows you to control which directory is used when MotionView creates scratch files during the processing of flexbody animations.

Note: You should briefly review the .flx file if it has been moved from one location to another to confirm relative paths.

If Apply is not highlighted in the HyperView window's Load model panel, one or more files in the .flx file cannot be located.

To use the .flx file, select ALTAIR.flx as the Load model and Load Results files on the Load Model panel in the HyperView window.

Note: MotionView can only read ASCII for ADAMS.res.