5. Dedicated tools

5.1. Definition and modus operandi

Dedicated tools are tools that are very related to the job of operating electrical production and distribution equipment, and using code_aster as a solver. Dedicated tools may have a more or less strong integration with code_aster. Two cases can be distinguished:

• Integration into the code_aster command file as a macro command (including creating the mesh from simple geometric data and calling on an external mesher);

• Production by a separate tool (pre-post autonomous processor) of command files driving the code_aster calculation, and processing in this tool of the retrieved result files.

5.2. Modes of exchange

code_aster can receive data from files derived from calculations previously performed by external software. It can also export its results in a format that can be used by other tools. For certain types of analyses (for example soil-structure interaction or soil-fluid-structure interaction with the MISS3D software) both types of chaining can be activated.

Exchanges with other software are currently done either in MED format, or in a format specific to the linked software. Several code_aster commands allow the reading or writing of the objects to be transmitted (result fields, matrices, loads…). In some cases (MISS3D), macro commands facilitate the implementation of a chained calculation.

5.3. Software interfaced with code_aster

The mesh software interfaced with code_aster is Salome_Meca, Gibi (subset of CASTEM2000), I‑DEAS, or GMSH. To visualize the results, you can use salome_meca, I- DEAS or GMSH.