On the ADINA User Interface

The ADINA User Interface (AUI) provides complete pre- and post-processing capabilities for all the ADINA solution programs. The result of many years of development in ADINA R & D, the AUI is a full-featured graphical user interface that provides control over the ADINA modeling and solution environment for Solids and Structures, CFD, FSI, and general Multiphysics.

With a graphics window, a Model Tree overview of the model in pre-processing mode, a command window for standard entry of AUI commands, and a Message Window, the fully interactive user interface allows easy access to the complete range of modeling and solution capabilities of ADINA. The user interface has the same appearance across platforms, with a menu bar and button icons on various user-configurable tool bars. The AUI can also be run in batch mode.

Within the AUI, documentation and help is only a mouse click away: from the Help item in the menu, Online Help is available for getting started, with hints, manuals and the AUI Primer in pdf format, and training videos that guide the new user through some representative problems from the Primer. You can see the Help drop-down menu when you move your mouse cursor over the above AUI screen shot.

The pre-processor comes with a versatile and powerful mesher, and users can import models from various CAD programs through the many CAD interfaces available. The ADINA Modeler, ADINA-M (based on the Parasolid kernel) is available for the direct creation of solid geometry, or for the modification of imported Parasolid parts. There are also very versatile interfaces for Nastran and IGES, among others.

The choice of program module (Structures, CFD, FSI, Thermal, ..., Post-Processing), analysis type (statics, implicit dynamics, explicit dynamics, etc.), the steering of the analysis process, and so on, are all accessible through the AUI.

The post-processor allows the user to visualize the solution results through a feature-rich and flexible combination of mesh plots, contour plots, graphs and movies which can be exported in bitmap or vector format.

The above paragraphs can only provide a short introduction to the powerful features in the AUI. Varied applications are seen here.