2026 API Programmer's Guide

Alefsiprojection, alereferencesystemcurve, alereferencesystemgroup, alereferencesystemnode, alereferencesystemswitch, alesmoothing, aletanktest and Sets (card image ALE_MMG) to Ales

The LS-DYNA keywords *ALE_FSI_PROJECTION, *ALE_REFERENCE_SYSTEM_CURVE, *ALE_REFERENCE_SYSTEM_GROUP, *ALE_REFERENCE_SYSTEM_NODE, *ALE_REFERENCE_SYSTEM_SWITCH, *ALE_SMOOTHING and *ALE_TANK_TEST have been mapped from the related alefsiprojection, alereferencesystemcurve, alereferencesystemgroup, alereferencesystemnode, alereferencesystemswitch, alesmoothing, and aletanktest entity to the new ale entity.

The LS-DYNA keyword *ALE_MULTI-MATERIAL_GROUP has been mapped from set entity (card image ALE_MMG) to ale entity. See the ales data name documentation for more details.

Scripts that created or queried the original respective entities for these keywords must be updated to use the ales entity.

To create a *ALE_FSI_PROJECTION keyword:
*createentity ales config=101
To create a *ALE_REFERENCE_SYSTEM_CURVE keyword:
*createentity ales config=102
To create a *ALE_REFERENCE_SYSTEM_GROUP keyword:
*createentity ales config=103
To create a *ALE_REFERENCE_SYSTEM_NODE keyword:
*createentity ales config=104
To create a *ALE_REFERENCE_SYSTEM_SWITCH keyword:
*createentity ales config=105
To create a *ALE_SMOOTHING keyword:
*createentity ales config=106
To create a *ALE_TANK_TEST keyword:
*createentity ales config=107
To create a *ALE_MULTI-MATERIAL_GROUP keyword:
*createentity ales config=108
To set value to ‘birth’ field on *ALE_FSI_PROJECTION card and ‘t1’ field on *ALE_REFERENCE_SYSTEM_SWITCH card respectively:
*setvalue ales id=1 STATUS=1 birth=1.0
*setvalue ales id=1 STATUS=1 t1=2.0
Similarly, for querying a field on *ALE_FSI_PROJECTION or *ALE_REFERENCE_SYSTEM_SWITCH cards:
hm_getvalue ales id=1 dataname= birth
hm_getvalue ales id=1 dataname= t1

Cards to Loadsteps

The following ANSYS keywords have been mapped from the cards entity to the loadstep entity: ALPHAD, AUTOTS, BETAD, BUCOPT, CMSOPT, CRPLIM, DELTIM, DMPRAT, EQSLV, EXPASS, HARFRQ, HREXP, HROPT, HROUT, IRLF, KBC, LUMPM, LVSCALE, MDAMP, MODE, MODOPT, MXPAND, NEQIT, NLGEOM, NROPT, NSUBST, PSTRES, SEOPT, TIME, TIMINT, TINTP, TOFFST, TRNOPT.

Scripts that created or queried the card entity for these keywords must be updated to use the loadstep entity.

The following cards have been moved as common parameters in the loadstep and they are grouped under the ‘Step Parameter’ option: AUTOTS, DELTIM, NLGEOM, NSUBST, TIME.

The other cards are grouped as per step analysis type (see table below).
Card Applicable In Static Harmonic Transient Modal Buckle Substr Spectr
ALPHAD Solution No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
BETAD No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
BUCOPT No No No No Yes No No
CMSOPT Solution
CRPLIM
DMPRAT No Yes No No No No Yes
EQSLV
EXPASS Solution No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
HARFRQ Solution No Yes No No No No No
HREXP Solution No Yes No No No No No
HROPT Solution No Yes No No No No No
HROUT Solution No Yes No No No No No
IRLF Solution Yes No No No Yes No No
KBC Solution Yes Yes Yes No No No No
LSSOLVE Solution
LUMPM Solution No No No Yes No Yes No
LVSCALE Solution No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes
MDAMP Solution No Yes Yes No No No Yes
MODE Solution No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
MODOPT No No No Yes No No No
MXPAND No No No Yes Yes No No
NEQIT Solution
NROPT Yes No Yes No No No No
NSUBST Solution
PSTRES Yes No Yes No No No No
SEOPT No No No No No Yes No
TIMINT Solution No No Yes No No No No
TINTP Solution No No Yes No No No No
TOFFSET
TRNOPT Solution No No Yes No No No No
To create a NLGEOM keyword and set its value to “ON”:
*createentity loadsteps
# Activate the Step Parameter flag
*setvalue loadsteps id=1 STATUS=2 3939=1
# Activate the NLGEOM flag
*setvalue loadsteps id=1 STATUS=2 5026=1
# Set NLGEOM value to ON
*setvalue loadsteps id=1 STATUS=2 349="ON"
To create a BUCOPT keyword:
*createentity loadsteps
# Set the analysis type to BUCKLE
*setvalue loadsteps id=1 STATUS=2 317="BUCKLE"
# Activate the BUCOPT flag
*setvalue loadsteps id=1 STATUS=2 3894=1
To create a DMPRAT keyword and set its value to 0.2:
*createentity loadsteps
# Set the analysis type to MODAL
*setvalue loadsteps id=1 STATUS=2 317="MODAL"
# Activate the DMPRAT flag
*setvalue loadsteps id=1 STATUS=2 3890=1
# Set DMPRAT value to 0.2
*setvalue loadsteps id=1 STATUS=1 468=0.2

New Commands

Modified Commands

The following commands have modified behavior that potentially require script updates:
The following commands have new options or enhanced capabilities. Existing scripts are not affected and only need to be updated if usage of the new functionality is desired:
  • Connectors
  • Data Names
    • constraints - Added new data name dependentnodeids.
    • designpointmethods - Added new data names factorofsafety and stabilityfactor. Updated the list of valid values for designmargin.
    • equations - Added new data name elec_potential.
    • failures - Added new config value 246. Added new data names Alpha_Fld, Damage, Fcut_fld, Grsh3_1, Grsh4_1, Grsh3_2, Grsh4_2, Iprint, Nb_walk, Probability, and Seed.
    • materials - Added new data names vector1, vector2, vector3, vector4.
    • seatbelts - Added new data name seatbelt2d_mattype.
    • sensors - Added new data names GAUGE_POINT_COORDINATES, GAUGE_POINT_COORDINATES_X, GAUGE_POINT_COORDINATES_Y, and GAUGE_POINT_COORDINATES_Z.
    • sets - Added new config values 401, 402. Added new data names for PAM-CRASH meta_data_comments, meta_data_comments_opt, and num_meta_data_comments. Added new subobject data names for PAM-CRASH negative_flag and range_type.
  • General/Core
  • Geometry
  • Meshing
    • *mm_align - Added new command values “edit” and “collapse”. Removed command values “begin” and “end”.
  • Modules/Parts