Method Manager

When the Method Manager is invoked for the first time, it is populated only with the default library and no resource. An empty library called "Session" is added to the list; it aims to contain temporary method definitions used in the live session only.

When you exit the HyperMesh session, a settings file is saved. The settings file contains the list of libraries and resources loaded before exit; the content of the Session library is removed. The settings file is saved in user/.altair/StressTool/settings.xml for windows and /home/.altair/StressTool/settings.xml for linux.

When starting a new instance of HyperMesh (without deleting the settings file), all previously loaded libraries and resources are scanned; hence, they are available in the Method Manager and up to date.

When the Method Manager is invoked from other tools like Assign Method or Run Method, you can only review method definitions and create designpointmethod entities in the database from the selected methods in the browser.

However, when the Method Manager is invoked from the Create Methods tool, it opens in edit mode and provides you with several options to:

Functions defined in files (oml, python, tcl) are considered as resources that can be used to create a method. These can be managed in the Resources tab (Figure 2).

Context menu options are:

It is also possible if an *.oml file is edited in Altair Compose to use Register Function… in Compose to directly make it available in the list of registered functions in the Resources tab.

Figure 2. Register OML function

By default, the Library browser is in review mode only. Selecting a method in the list will display its details in the method editor:

• Input argument list and mapping
• Output arguments
• Sort

Figure 3. Attribute mapping review

Selecting an item in the list of inputs will show its mapping either as:

Import/ New /Delete Library

Scan/Open Library

Edit Library

Edit Library is available on a library node (except Default) or method and puts the Library tab in edit mode. The browser is populated only with the given library (works with Session too). Alternatively, you can double-click on a method/library to reach the same state.

Note: Editing capabilities are available only when the browser display method is in hierarchy view .

The / icons add or delete methods. New methods inherit their category from the current config set in the display filters.

• default engine is “COMPOSE”
• default function is the first registered function if any exist
• otherwise, it defaults to the first COMPOSE resource and points to its first function

At this point, you can fully edit the method (see Edit Methods).

If the current library is Session, then using Save commits the changes in the session library and leaves edit mode. Using Save as gives a change to transform methods in Session onto a saved library; it results in an xml file written and imported in the Library Manager. The Session library will be clean.

If the current library edited is a regular library, then Save asks for confirmation to overwrite the original xml file. If accepted, changes done to the library file are permanent (no Undo) and you are returned to the library view mode; otherwise, operations will be cancelled. Using Save as saves a new xml file and imports it as a new library. If method names from the newly imported library conflict with existing libraries, then the methods are disabled from selection. To resolve the issue, you need to either rename the method display name in edit mode or delete the previous library from the list (where methods are duplicated).

Cancel will cancel all changes and leave library edit mode.

When a library is in edit mode, select a method in the list to change its engine or resource/function. Selecting a function to be used can be done directly from the Resource tab (Create Methods & Assign Methods). The Method Category can be changed if the config filter is set to Generic.

Once a function is selected, you can define the method arguments in the editor with three tabs: Inputs/ Outputs/Sort (Figure 3).

Inputs

If the selected function was defined with an explicit list of arguments, like func(a,b,c)=, then the number of inputs is set by default to the number of arguments. You can increase/decrease the number of inputs but no lesser than the number of function arguments. If the last argument name starts with arg, it is considered an optional argument. If args is used in the function definition, then inputs defaults to 0.

Each input argument listed in the Input table has 6 columns. The first column is the function’s variable name. It is filled by the variable name in the function file by default but can take any value. It is only for human reference.

The second column (Database Attribute Query) is the most important as it defines the key mapped to the input parameter. A tooltip on this column shows the actual key value in review mode.

Other columns include options to provide input values bind per bind, or as a vector, or as an aggregated value (min, max, sum, avg) across loadcases or elements/layers when applicable.

Figure 4.

Outputs

Defines the number of outputs from the function and gives a meaningful name to each output. The given name will be the displayed name for the output in the contouring tool. Moreover, when chaining methods one after another, the mapping key mapped to an input parameter will use this name.

One output can be tagged as “margin of safety”. It states that this output can be used as a metric when comparing multiple methods altogether. When multiple methods are assigned to a designpointset, then an extra table is created with consolidated values comparing methods based on their “margin of safety” key.

Sort

In Sort tab, you can specify whether a post-evaluation sorting must occur (Sorting).

If no domain nor loadcase are considered, then no Sort block is written in the method definition.