Interactively Preview and Fix Model Issues Before Solving

The Repair Model feature performs a series of validation checks on your model to identify issues that may cause solver errors, produce inaccurate results, or indicate redundant data. Issues are categorized by severity:

• Critical – These issues must be fixed before solving, as they will cause the solver to fail.
• Warning – These issues may produce unexpected results in the analysis.
• Suggested – Optional cleanup to keep your model tidy.

You can run Repair Model anytime from Tools → Repair Model.

Some critical fixes and warning checks run automatically when you click Solve to run the FEA. However, running Repair Model manually gives you visibility into what is being changed and allows you to control which fixes are applied. It’s important to note that only warning checks can be ignored during a solve.

The following shows an example of a pop-up you may see when you solve your model.

When you run Repair Model manually, the following console appears on the left-hand side of S3D. Use the checkboxes to control which corresponding fixes are applied to your model. Note that critical fixes cannot be unchecked. Additionally, clicking the Preview buttons will highlight the problem component(s) in the S3D canvas.

List of Checks

Critical

• Unused Nodes – Nodes not connected to any members or plates are removed
• Duplicate Members – Members with identical start/end nodes and offsets are removed
• Duplicate Plates – Plates defined by the same set of nodes are removed
• Duplicate Supports – Multiple supports applied to the same node or overlapping line supports are removed
• Zero-Length Members – Members where the start and end node are the same or extremely close are removed
• Zero-Area Plates – Meshed plates with negligible or zero area are removed
• Element Release – Members with both ends released for torsion are fixed to prevent rotational instability

Warning

• Members with No Section – Members missing section data are assigned a default section
• Unmeshed Plates – Plates that have not been meshed are flagged as they will be ignored by the solver
• CWL Elevation Order – Column wind loads with elevations listed out of order are reordered
• Reasonable Input Check – Unusual values such as extremely long members or unrealistic material properties are flagged
• Close Nodes – Nodes that are very close together are merged into one
• Normal Members with Intersecting Nodes – Normal members that pass through intermediate nodes are split at those nodes
• Overlapping Members – Overlapping members are merged into one

Suggested

• Unused Sections – Sections not assigned to any members are removed
• Unused Materials – Materials not used by any sections or plates are removed