User guide#

This user guide provides detailed information about working with the HDF5 Composite CAE format.

Overview#

Ansys HDF5 Composite CAE is a Python package that provides both documentation and tools for working with the HDF5 composite CAE file format. This format enables the exchange of composite layup information between Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) tools.

The library offers:

Format Specification: Complete documentation of the HDF5 composite CAE file format structure
File Validation: Command-line and Python API tools to validate HDF5 files against the specification
File Creation: Utilities to create compliant HDF5 composite CAE files
Example Files: A collection of sample files demonstrating the format’s capabilities

Key concepts#

The HDF5 composite CAE format is built around several core concepts:

Mesh#

Stores geometrical information consisting of nodes and elements. The mesh provides the geometric foundation for defining composite layups.

Component#

Represents a layer in the composite structure. Each component references a data map and the underlying mesh. Components allow you to define multiple layers with different properties.

Data map#

Contains geometrical information associated with each element or node in the mesh, including:

Thickness values
Reference direction
Fiber direction

Data maps provide the detailed material orientation and geometric data for each component.

Validating files#

The package provides tools to validate HDF5 files against the composite CAE specification.

Using the command-line interface#

The simplest way to validate a file is using the command-line tool:

validate_composite_cae_h5 my_h5_file.h5

This command checks if the file conforms to the specification and reports any issues found.

Using the Python API#

You can also validate files programmatically:

from ansys.hdf5_composite_cae import validate_file

try:
    validate_file("my_file.h5")
    print("File is valid!")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Validation failed: {e}")

The validate_file function returns True if the file is valid, or raises an exception with detailed information if validation fails.

Creating files#

The package provides utilities to create HDF5 composite CAE files.

Creating a minimal file#

You can create a minimal compliant HDF5 file as a starting point:

from ansys.hdf5_composite_cae import create_minimal_h5_file

create_minimal_h5_file("output.h5")

This creates a basic file that conforms to the specification. You can then extend this file with your own mesh, components, and data maps.

Working with example files#

The package includes several example HDF5 files that demonstrate the format’s capabilities.

Locating example files#

To find the example files in your installation:

show_composite_cae_h5_examples

This command displays the location of the example files. You can navigate to this directory to inspect and use the files.

Using example files#

The example files demonstrate different aspects of the format and can serve as references for creating your own files. Use HDFView or another HDF5 viewer to explore their structure.