Welcome to the Weld Extraction tool! This add-in allows you to automatically extract the required information from your Nastran analysis files and upload it directly to the IDSolver web portal.

1. Prerequisites

Before using this tool, you must successfully run a Nastran analysis on your Inventor assembly.

Important Nastran Settings: To extract the correct force data, ensure your analysis is configured correctly before running it:

• In the Nastran tree, right-click your Analysis and select Edit.
• Go to the Output Controls tab.
• For Welds: Under the Nodal section, ensure both Grid Point Force Balance and SPC are checked.
• For Bolts: Under the Elemental section's Output Sets, ensure Force is checked.
• At the bottom, set Output Options to Print (this is mandatory to generate the .out file containing the text data).
• Run the analysis.

2. Initial Setup (Settings)

The very first time you run the app, you need to link it to your web portal account.

1. Click the Settings button on the main form.
2. Enter the APP_BASE_URL (e.g., https://your-server-address.com). Note: Do not include a trailing slash (/) at the end of the URL.
3. Enter your User GUID (This will be sent to you via email).
4. Click Save. The app will remember these settings for future sessions.

3. Loading Nastran Files

When you open the app, it will attempt to auto-detect your Nastran (.nas) file based on the active Inventor document.

• Auto-Load: If it finds exactly one .nas file in the standard InCAD\FEA folder, it will load it automatically.
• Manual Load: If it cannot find the file, or if multiple files exist, click LoadNas to manually browse your computer and select the correct .nas file for your current project.

4. Finding and Mapping Welds

Once the file is loaded, you need to tell the app which Nastran contacts represent which structural welds.

• Filter (Recommended): Click the Filter button. The app will prompt you to click on two separate parts in your 3D Inventor model. It will then automatically find all Nastran contacts that exist between those two specific parts.
  Important Note: This filter only works if the Nastran contacts have not been renamed and still contain the default Inventor Part Numbers in their descriptions!
• Show All: Click this to see a list of all contacts in the entire assembly. (Use this method if you manually renamed your contacts in Nastran).

Mapping Contacts to Welds: Select one or more contacts from the list on the left, then choose an action:

• Add Weld: Adds each selected contact as its own unique, individual weld (e.g., W1, W2).
• Combine Weld: Use this if a single physical weld is represented by multiple contact surfaces in Nastran. Select multiple contacts and click this button to group them into a single weld ID (e.g., W3 comb). The server will treat these as one complete weld.
• Remove a Weld: If you made a mistake, click the "Delete" button next to the weld in the grid on the right.

Once all your welds are mapped in the grid, click Next. (Note: The app saves your mapping to a .csv file, so if you close and reopen the app later, it will remember your setup!)

5. Processing and Uploading

• Project Name: The app automatically generates a Project Name by pulling the Project, Part Number, and Description from your Inventor iProperties. You can edit this text box if you want a different name.
• Continue: Click Continue to start the extraction. The app will automatically read the .nas file for coordinates and the .out / .f06 file for forces, matching everything to the welds you defined.

Watch the progress bar. Once complete, it will upload the data to the cloud. If successful, you will be prompted to open your browser to view the results on the web dashboard.

6. Troubleshooting