ANSYS ET Type Macro

The ET Type macro creates HyperMesh card images for ANSYS element types.

The ET Type macro dialog displays the ET type identification number, the element type name, and the key option values for each element type. From this macro dialog, you can create card images for any element type that HyperMesh supports, view existing ET types along with their reference numbers and key options, edit existing element types, or delete element types.

Rows can be sorted by ET Type name, ID and the element type column.

The following buttons are available on the ET Type macro dialog:
Table 1.
Button Action
Help Provides information about the macro.
New... Opens the Create ETType dialog, from which you can specify an element reference number and key options for a new element type and create it.
Edit... Opens the Edit ETType dialog, from which you can review and change the reference number and key options for an existing element type that is selected in the table.
Export... Allows you to export the table in .csv format
Refresh Refreshes the HyperMesh database with changes you made through the HyperMesh panels.
Delete Deletes the element type(s) that is selected in the table.
Close Closes the ET Type macro dialog.

Right-clicking on a row displays a context menu with the option to delete unused ET types. Selecting this option can help you clean up your model by deleting unused ET types.

You can also edit element types, edit key options, and delete element types from the menu that appears when you right-click in the table when a row/element type is selected.

Create ET Type Dialog

Use the Create ETType dialog to create new element types.

Specify the following options and click Create to create the element type and return to the ET Type macro, or Create/Edit… to create the element type and open the Card Image panel in HyperMesh to specify the key options for the element type.

The following options are available in the Element Ref No dialog:
Table 2.
Option Description
Real Set No Type an identification number for the real set. If you do not specify a value, a number will be automatically provided that is one higher than the highest current real set ID number.
Element Type Select an element type from the drop-down list. The element types are listed in groups sorted by type, as shown in the image below.

Edit ETType Dialog

Use the Edit ETType dialog to edit existing element types.

Modify the following options and click Update to save the changes to the element type. Then click return to return to the ET Type macro. You can also click Edit Key Options to modify the key options for the element type in the HyperMesh Card Image panel.

The following options are available in the Edit ETType dialog:
Table 3.
Option Description
Real Set No This field is initially populated with the reference number of the element type you have selected to edit. You can change the reference number to any number that is not already used by an existing element type.
Element Type This field is initially populated with the type of the element type you have selected to edit. You can select another element type from the drop-down list. The element types are listed in groups sorted by type, as shown in the image below.

If you make changes to an ET Type, you must click Update to reflect the changes in the card image.