Export

GiD lets you export geometrical models or meshes in the following formats.

IGES

GiD can export the geometry in IGES format (version 5.3).

If the preference 'IGES:B-Rep output style' is set (see Preferences ), then the output file is written in Boundary representation solid model style; otherwise the surfaces are written as separated trimmed surfaces, without topological information, and the volumes are ignored.

The IGES geometric entities generated are:

116 Point

110 Line

102 Composite curve

126 Rational B-spline curve

128 Rational B-spline surface

142 Curve on a parametric surface

144 Trimmed surface

and the topological entities are (B Rep style):

186 Manifold solid B-rep object

502 Vertex

504 Edge

508 Loop

510 Face

514 Shell

DXF

GiD can export the geometry in DXF format (AutoCAD 2002 version). Points and curves are correctly exported, but a surface must be converted into a mesh of triangles, because DXF does not support Trimmed NURBS Surfaces.

ACIS

GiD can export the geometry in ACIS ASCII format, version 5.0 (files with .sat extension).

GiD mesh

With this option a file is written with all of the project's mesh or meshes inside. This file can be read with Import GiD Mesh (see GiD mesh ).

Text data report

With this option a file is written containing all the information within the project. It is created in a way that is easily understood when read with an editor. This is useful for checking the information.

Note: This ASCII format is only used to check information. It cannot be read again by GiD. To write ASCII files that can be read again use the option SaveAsciiProj (see ASCII project ).

ASCII project

This option saves a project in the same way as regular Save (see Save ) but files are written in ASCII. It may be useful for copying projects between incompatible machines. GiD also allows this information to be written in a file (see Text data report ).

Projects saved in this way may be read with the same open command (see Open ).

ON layers

With this option, only the geometrical entities with their layers set to ON will be saved in a new project (see Layers ).

Note: Lower entities necessary to define the saved entities will be also saved in the new project (e.g. the two extreme points of a line are also saved if the line is saved).

Calculation file

If GiD runs the solver module automatically, this command is not necessary. However, it is useful if the solver program has to be run outside GiD, or to check the data input prior to any calculations.

This command writes the data file needed by the solver module.

The format of this file must be defined in a Template File (see Template File ). GiD uses the template file of the current Problem Type to write the data file; so, to run this command, a problem type must be selected.

When testing a new problem type definition, GiD produces messages about errors within the configuration. When the error is corrected, the command can be used again without leaving the example and without having to reassign any conditions or meshing.

Using a .bas template

This command does the same thing as Export -> Calculation file (see Calculation file ), but it uses a .bas file provided by the user, instead of using the template file of the current problem type. This means it is not necessary to select a problem type in order to run this command.

When choosing 'Others...' from the submenu, GiD asks for a .bas file (see Template File ) and, using that file, writes the data file needed by the solver module. There are some .bas codes available in the submenu which write output files in some formats (DXF, NASTRAN, STL, VRML). These example .bas files are located in the Templates directory of the main GiD directory. It is possible to add other .bas files to that directory so they appear in the submenu.