Unable to Write to Model Scratch File FEMAP8.1 1

[JohnyGluebag]

Hello,
I am having trouble with loading resutls into FEMAP8.1/MSC Nastran2001. I am trying to import a .op2 file about 1.7Gb in size. Every time I try I get an error when the scratch file reaches about 2.1Gb in size. Co-workers have been able to import .op2 files in excess of 3Gb...what am I doing wrong?

I have moved the scratch file to other disks, but it continues to bomb out when the scratch file gets to 2.1Gb.

Any ideas would be much appreciated,
Best regards,
JohnyGluebag.

 

[GregLocock]

What disk format are you using? What did MSC say?

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[JohnyGluebag]

Tomorrow I will give MSC a call again. I do not know much about the Nastran input, Femap is how I am setting everything up. In the past when I have had questions regarding Femap, MSC does not respond very well. Rightly so I guess, it would be better if I asked them questions about Patran.

I am using windows xp, 1Gb ram, 4Gb page file, NTFS. I am consulting out of a clients office and using there computers...just got admin rights the other day so to change some stuff.

When I get it sorted I will post what the fix is.

Thanks,
JohnyGluebag.

 

[GregLocock]

i'm just suspicious - 2Gb sounds like an OS problem

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[rob768]

But not in XP? Are you sure the disk is NTFS formatted?

 

[ThomasH]

I noticed that you have a very long adress to your scratch file. Try changing it to something shorter like c:\scratch. You can do that in File-Preferences-Database.

Personally I have imported much larger file into FEMAP but I'm not absolutely sure about ver 8.1. Ver 8.3 I know can handle 10 GB or larger. But 2.1 GB like Greg said clearly indicates a FAT-problem.

Good Luck

Thomas

 

[rob768]

The long name may be a good point. Femap (8.0b, which I work with) doesn't display long names correctly either.

 

[JohnyGluebag]

On a lark I installed femap 9.0. The company I am at is evaluating it for a possible upgrade. Femap 9.0 loaded a 6.7Gb op2 file no problem, and with good speed. I am loading results from a linear transient analysis. 1000 load sets.

I then did some comparisons between importing the same results using femap 8.1 and femap 9.0. Femap 9.0 is much faster at importing results. Load time went from 1.5 hours with femap 8.1 to approx 40mins with femap 9.0

When I get time I am going to reinstall femap 8.1. I figure I must have changed some parameter or something. I wish I could explain exactly why the problem occured and how to fix it, but for now I am happy (and lucky) that femap 9 is getting the job done.

 

[JohnyGluebag]

I forgot to mention, I did rename the scratch file to c:\scratch, but it did not fix the problem. If when I reinstall femap 8.1 and it works ok...I will have accept that it was just one of those things.

Now I have a whole new set of stuff to figure out. How to couple acoustic elements and plate elements in Nastran, and run a nonlinear-transient analysis...
Its going to be a long week.