FEM SolverCalculixCxxtools
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Menu location |
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Solve → Solver CalculiX Standard |
Workbenches |
FEM |
Default shortcut |
S X |
Introduced in version |
- |
See also |
FEM tutorial |
Description
CalculiXccxTools enables usage of the CalculiX solver. It may be used for:
- Setting analysis parameters
- Selecting working directory
- Running the CalculiX solver
Usage
- A
CalculiXcxxTools solver object is created automatically with the creation of an
Analysis container.
To create it manually, use one of the following alternatives: - Optionally change the properties of the
CalculiXcxxTools solver object in the Property editor.
- Double click the
CalculiXcxxTools solver object.
- Select the Analysis type.
- Click the Write .inp file button.
- Click the Run CalculiX button.
Options
Click the Edit .inp file button to display and edit the CalculiX input file manually before running the analysis. In that case it can be useful to set the DataSplit Input Writer property to true
.
Properties
Default values can be set in the menu Edit → Preferences → FEM → CalculiX
- DataAnalysis Type:
- static
- frequency
- thermomech - for mechanical and thermal loads
- check - to check only the mesh
- buckling - for buckling analyses introduced in version 0.20
- DataBeam Shell Result Output 3D: note that CalculiX internally expands 1D and 2D elements into 3D elements to accomplish FE analysis
- false - results of 1D and 2D elements will be averaged to the nodes of original 1D or 2D mesh (i.e. purely bended beam will show 0 nodal stresses due to averaging)
- true - resulting mesh will contain 1D and 2D elements expanded to 3D elements
- DataEigenmode High Limit: Eigenvalues above this limit will not be calculated; Note: if eigenvalues of the model are above the high limit, CalculiX will finish without output
- DataEigenmode Low Limit: Eigenvalues below this limit will not be calculated
- DataEigenmodes Count: number of lowest eigenmodes to be calculated
- DataGeometric Nonlinearity:
- linear - linear analysis will be performed if model does not contain nonlinear material
- nonlinear - nonlinear analysis will be performed
- DataIterations Control parameter Cutb: defines the second line of CalculiX' advanced iteration parameters. Used if DataIterations Control Parameter Time Use is set to true.
- DataIterations Control Parameter Iter: defines the first line of CalculiX' advanced iteration parameters. Used if DataIterations Control Parameter Time Use is set to true.
- DataIterations Control Parameter Time Use
- true - activates DataIterations Control parameter Cutb and DataIterations Control Parameter Iter
- false
- DataIterations Thermo Mech Maximum: maximum number of increments in thermomechanical analysis after which the job will be stopped.
- DataIterations User Defined Incrementations:
- true - automatic incrementation control will be switched off by DIRECT parameter
- false - incrementation control will be automatic
- DataIterations User Defined Time Step Length:
- true - activates DataTime End and DataTime Initial Step parameters
- false
- DataMaterial Nonlinearity:
- linear - only linear material properties will be included in the analysis
- nonlinear - nonlinear material properties will be used from
Nonlinear mechanical material object
- DataMatrix Solver Type: type of the solver to solve equation system inside FE analysis. It may significantly affect calculation speed and memory demands. Suitability depends on your FE model and available hardware
- default - automatically selects matrix solver depending on available solvers (probably it will be Spooles)
- spooles - direct solver with support of multiple CPUs. Number of CPUs need to be set in the preferences at Solver defaults → Number of CPU's to use.
- iterativescaling - iterative solver with least memory demands, suitable if model contains mostly 3D elements
- iterativecholesky - iterative solver with preconditioning with and with low memory demands, suitable if model contains mostly 3D elements
- DataSplit Input Writer:
- false - write whole input into one *.inp file to be used by CalculiX solver
- true - split solver inputs into more *.inp files, that can clarify hand editing
- DataThermo Mechanical Steady State:
- true - steady state thermo mechanical analysis
- false - transient thermo mechanical analysis
- DataTime End: time period of the step, used when parameter DataIterations User Defined Incrementations or DataIterations User Defined Time Step Length is true
- DataTime Initial Step: initial time increment of the step, used when parameter DataIterations User Defined Incrementations or DataIterations User Defined Time Step Length is true
- DataWorking Dir: path to the working directory which will be used for CalculiX analysis files.
Limitations
When running a CalculiX, you might end up with error 4294977295. This means you don't have enough RAM space. You have then 2 options:
- reduce the number of mesh nodes, preferably by omitting geometry that is not absolutely necessary for your analysis
- buy more RAM for your PC
Notes
Original CalculiX documentation can be found at http://dhondt.de/ in the "ccx" paragraph.
Scripting
- Materials: Solid, Fluid, Nonlinear mechanical, Reinforced (concrete); Material editor
- Element geometry: Beam (1D), Beam rotation (1D), Shell (2D), Fluid flow (1D)
Constraints
- Electromagnetic: Electrostatic potential, Current density, Magnetization
- Geometrical: Plane rotation, Section print, Transform
- Mechanical: Fixed, Displacement, Contact, Tie, Spring, Force, Pressure, Centrif, Self weight
- Thermal: Initial temperature, Heat flux, Temperature, Body heat source
- Without solver: Fluid boundary, Bearing, Gear, Pulley
- Overwrite Constants: Constant vacuum permittivity
- Solve: CalculiX Standard, CalculiX (new framework), Elmer, Mystran, Z88; Equations: Deformation, Elasticity, Electrostatic, Electricforce, Magnetodynamic, Magnetodynamic 2D, Flow, Flux, Heat; Solver: Solver control, Solver run
- Results: Purge, Show; Postprocessing: Apply changes, Pipeline from result, Warp filter, Scalar clip filter, Function cut filter, Region clip filter, Contours filter, Line clip filter, Stress linearization plot, Data at point clip filter, Filter function plane, Filter function sphere, Filter function cylinder, Filter function box
- Additional: Preferences; FEM Install, FEM Mesh, FEM Solver, FEM CalculiX, FEM Concrete; FEM Element Types

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