User Generates a Mesh in CUBIT

The user will use CUBIT to generate a mesh file and associated metadata file. This will be done by executing a previously generated CUBIT journal (.jou) file which is obtained from the APC.


The journal file will cause CUBIT to read in an Acis SAT geometry file and associated metadata file. Like the .jou file, the .sat and .dart files are obtained from the APC. The CUBIT journal file will mesh the geometry, and then create blocks, a nodeset, and a sideset. Each block, sideset, and nodeset will be assigned a name in CUBIT. CUBIT will write then write the mesh to a genesis file. CUBIT will also write a corresponding metadata file. The output metadata file will refer to all of the blocks, nodesets, and sidesets in the genesis file, including mesh entity names. The metadata file will also include the geometric assembly information.


To accomplish the meshing task the user will perform the following:


  1. Open the APC (/usr/local/apc/apc on the SCICO LAN, or /apps/apc/apc on the AMECH-R LAN). Use arellano-2k3.sandia.gov:1234 for the host, and then enter your username and password (you must have previously obtained an account from the APC team).

  2. Open the test case analysis project called DART Milestone as (for help opening an analysis project see APC User Guide >> Tasks >> Finding an APC Project). This will display the Analysis_Project-DART_Milestone in the APC Repository Navigator, as shown in the figure below. You may want to write down the path shown as the Local Path in this dialog; this is the analysis directory where files downloaded from the APC will be placed.



APC – Opening the analysis project.



APC – Selecting the analysis project.


  1. Expand the analysis project to reveal the analysis artifacts.

  2. Right-click the ASM artifact called CaloreASM (PrestoASM for the Presto test) and select Download Artifact Files. This will download three files to the user’s analysis directory on the local file system: AFF-tet-fine.sat, AFF-tet-fine.jou and CaloreASM.dart (for the Presto test the files are called slidehex.jou, slidehex.sat, and PrestoASM.dart). Verify that these three files were placed in the analysis directory by going to the APC Navigator view and refreshing the project directory (for additional help see APC User Guide >> Tasks >> Checking out DTA artifacts).



APC – Download File


  1. If the previous step failed, download the files from http://www-irn.sandia.gov/~djmelan/dart/level2/calore/CaloreASM/ for the Calore test or http://www-irn.sandia.gov/~djmelan/dart/level2/presto/PrestoASM for the presto test.

  2. Attempt each of the following until one succeeds [on some systems CUBIT cannot launch from the .jou file and only option b works]:

    1. Right-click the CUBIT journal (AFF-tet-fine.jou for CaloreASM) file in the APC and select Open With >> CUBIT. This will launch CUBIT and will attempt to run the journal file placed in the analysis directory.

    2. If CUBIT did not start in step a), open CUBIT by selecting it from the DTA Tools menu in the APC. [Note: Before doing this step the DTA Tools must be configured as defined in Appendix A: Initial APC Setup] Then set the working directory by typing cd “/my/directory” in CUBIT’s command window, replacing “/my/directory” with the path to the analysis directory referred to in step above. Then type play “AFF-tet-fine.jou” in CUBIT’s command window (play “slidehex.jou” for the Presto test).



APC – Launching DTA Tools


  1. Once the message “Journal File Execution Complete” appears in CUBIT’s text output, verify that geometry was imported from the STEP file into CUBIT. This can be done by typing “zoom reset” in CUBIT’s command window to ensure that the model is visible in the graphics window, and then looking at the graphics window. If the graphics window displays anything, geometry was successfully created from the STEP file. This verifies a portion of Doors requirement 2.2.9.1 – “CUBIT will be capable of importing an assembly-aware SAT geometry file and a corresponding metadata file. CUBIT will create the geometry described in the SAT file”

  2. Verify that assembly data was created in CUBIT. This is done by typing “metadata list tree” in CUBIT’s command window. This should generate a text representation of the assembly hierarchy in the output window.

    As an alternative, the “Assemblies” node of the CUBIT entity tree can be expanded. If parts and assemblies are displayed in the tree, assembly data was successfully read from the input XML file.

    This verifies a portion of DOORS requirement 2.2.9.1 – “CUBIT…will create parts and assemblies as described in the metadata file”

  3. Verify that part-to-volume associations were successful. This is done by examining the output previously generated by the “metadata list tree” command. Next to each part’s listing should be the IDs of any volumes associated with that part. If each part has at least one volume associated with it, the associations were successful.

    As an alternative, the tester can examine the “Assemblies” portion of CUBIT’s entity tree. The volumes associated with a given part are displayed as children of the part in the tree. If each part has at least one volume under it in the tree, the associations were successful.

    This verifies a portion of DOORS requirement 2.2.9.1 – “CUBIT…will associate the imported volumes with parts in the assembly.”

  4. Type quit in CUBIT’s command window.

  5. Once CUBIT has exited, verify that two new files were created in the analysis directory, AFF-tet-fine.g and AFF-tet-fine.dart (for the Presto test these files are called slidehex.g and slidehex_mesh.dart). The existence of these files verifies a portion of DOORS requirement 2.2.9.1 – “CUBIT will be capable of exporting a genesis mesh file and a corresponding metadata file. The metadata file will conform to the production DART metadata specification; will contain all assembly information contained in the current CUBIT model; will contain appropriate block-to-part mappings; and will contain any block, nodeset, and sideset names and/or descriptions available in the current CUBIT session.”


Associated Requirements:

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