Exporting the Mesh

This task shows how to store a mesh with a new format. These formats can be either .model (CATIA V4 files) or .dat (Nastran bulk data files).

• .model: all the connectivities (geometrical shapes) are transferred
• .dat: bar elements, OCTREE mesh (GPS/EST) and surface mesh (FMS) are transferred.

You can find in the following table how the correspondence between the CATIA V5 element type and the Nastran bulk data element type is done when you are exporting a V5 mesh in a .dat file:

To know more about the CATIA V5 element type, refer to the Finite Element Reference Guide.

The default unit for the length value is fixed in the Options dialog box (General > Parameters and  Measure > Units tab).
For more details, refer to the Infrastructure User's Guide.

Open the Sample11.CATAnalysis document from the samples directory.

1. Click Export Mesh in the Import/Export toolbar.

   The Save mesh as dialog box appears.
   	Make sure that the Writing Code Page value is ISO8859-1 in the Saving as V4 Data tab (Tools > Options > General > Compatibility):

2. Enter the desired options in the dialog box: File name and Save as type.

3. Click Save.

   The mesh will now be exported as New_name.dat in the samples directory.