Ribbon

The Ribbon is located at the top of the main SDC Verifier window and contains the following pages:

• File;
• Home;
• Settings;
• Recognitions;
• Tools;
• Standards;
• Help.

Page "File"

This page contains the following commands: create, open, save a project and edit its properties, etc.

When SDC Verifier is started a project has to be created or opened.

Project Wizard

Project Wizard is a step-by-step guide that helps to configure a new SDC Verifier project from the very beginning: define the general project information, import analyses from the model, prepare load sets and load groups, and select a report template. The wizard is displayed automatically after a new project is created (when Show on startup is enabled) and can be reopened later from the ribbon.

The wizard consists of five pages listed in the left navigation panel:

• Project Details;
• Jobs;
• Load Sets;
• Load Groups;
• Report Wizard.

Use Previous and Next buttons at the bottom of the window to navigate between the pages, or click any page name in the left navigation panel to jump directly to it. Press Finish at any moment to apply the entered settings and close the wizard — the pages that were not filled in will use their default values.

Show on startup — if checked, the Project Wizard is displayed automatically every time a new project is created. Uncheck it to skip the wizard in the future.

Project Details

The first page contains general project information that is used on the first page of the generated report. All fields on this page are optional except for the Model File Path.

Select Model File

Model File Path — full path to the analysis model file that will be linked to the project. Press to browse for the file or press Get Active Model Path to insert the path of the currently opened model automatically.

Project Details

Number — unique project number (e.g. an internal document or order number).

Name — descriptive project name shown in the title bar and used in the report. Default value is New Project.

Description — additional text description of the project. The drop-down list stores previously entered descriptions for quick reuse.

Unit System — measurement unit system used for the project. The value is selected from the drop-down list (e.g. MKS (Meter/Kg/Second)). The unit system affects how the model data is imported and how the results are displayed.

Engineer details and Customer details

Two identical sections are used to define the responsible engineer and the customer for whom the analysis is performed. The following fields are available in each section: Engineer/Customer, Company, E-mail, Phone, Address, Website and Logo.

The Address field is a drop-down list that stores previously entered addresses. The Logo field displays a preview of the selected image; press next to it to select an image file, or press to clear the current logo.

Icons next to the Engineer/Customer and Company fields allow saving frequently used contacts to the library and loading them into a new project.

Note: All the details entered on this page can be edited later via File - Properties command described in the Properties chapter.

Jobs

On the Jobs page all analyses defined in the model are listed and can be selected for import into the project. A Job in SDC Verifier is a link to an analysis (e.g. Static Structural, Modal, Buckling) from which the individual loads and their results are read.

Check the analyses that should be included in the project. Each selected analysis is added as a separate Job, and every analysis step (substep) of the imported analysis becomes an Individual Load (IL) in the project.

Note: Only the checked analyses are imported. Analyses that are not needed for the checks can be safely unchecked to reduce the amount of imported data and speed up further operations.

Note: Additional jobs can be created or existing ones can be modified later from the Jobs chapter of the project.

Load Sets

A Load Set (LS) is a linear combination of individual loads multiplied by user-defined factors. Load Sets are typically used to represent load cases required by the design standard (e.g. dead load + live load × 1.5).

The main area of the page shows a table where columns represent all imported individual loads and the additional Safety Factor column, and rows represent load sets. Values in the cells are the factors with which each individual load participates in the corresponding load set. Empty cell means that the individual load is not included in the load set.

Add load Sets

Count — number of load sets to add. Press to create the specified number of empty load sets.

From Clipboard — creates load sets from the tabular data copied to the clipboard (e.g. from Excel). Each row of the pasted data becomes a new load set.

Factor

Enter a numeric value in the Factor field and use one of the buttons below to apply it:

Set — sets the entered factor to all selected cells in the table.

Set Diagonally — sets the entered factor on the diagonal of the selected range, which is useful when each load set should include only one individual load.

Clean Selected — clears the factor from selected cells.

Clipboard

Copy / Paste — copies the selected cells to the clipboard or pastes previously copied values into the selected area.

Copy with Title — copies selected cells together with the row and column titles.

Export to Excel — exports the current load sets table to an Excel file.

Selected Rows

Copy — duplicates the selected load sets.

Remove — deletes the selected load sets from the table.

Note: The Safety Factor column is a special factor applied to the results of the load set as a whole and is used in standard checks.

Load Groups

A Load Group (or result envelope) is a collection of individual loads, load sets or other load groups for which SDC Verifier finds the worst (extreme) values on the model at each result location. Using load groups together with the Governing Loads tool makes it easy to identify the critical load combinations and focus the analysis of the structure only on them.

The table columns list all available items (individual loads, load sets and previously created load groups), and rows represent load groups. A + sign in a cell means that the corresponding item is included in the load group; an empty cell means it is excluded.

Add load Groups

Count — number of load groups to add. Press to create the specified number of empty load groups.

From Clipboard — creates load groups from the tabular data copied to the clipboard.

Safety Factor

Enter a value in the Safety Factor field and press Set to apply it to the selected safety factor cells. The safety factor is applied to the extreme values found within the load group.

Selected Cells

Include — marks selected cells with + so that the corresponding items participate in the load group.

Exclude — removes items from the load group by clearing the selected cells.

Include Diagonally — includes items only on the diagonal of the selected range, which is convenient when each load group should contain a single unique item.

Clipboard and Selected Rows groups contain the same commands as described in the Load Sets chapter and work identically for load groups.

Note: Load groups can be built not only from individual loads but also from already created load sets and other load groups, which allows building nested envelopes of any complexity.

Report Wizard

The last page of the wizard is used to select a report template that will be generated automatically for the project. A predefined template creates all the necessary chapters, tables and plots according to the selected option, so that a ready-to-review report is available without configuring the Report Designer manually.

Select one of the following options:

Start from scratch — creates an empty report. All items that should be included in the report will have to be configured manually in the Report Designer. Select this option if none of the predefined templates matches the required report structure.

Model Setup — generates a report with a detailed overview of the model: materials, properties, boundary conditions, applied loads and components. No result tables or plots are included. This option is used to document the model itself before the analysis is performed.

Result — generates a report focused on the analysis results: automatic displacement and stress tables/plots for all loads, summary tables and governing loads for envelopes. Use this option when the model description is documented separately and only the analysis outcome is needed.

Full — combined Model Setup and Result report: overview of the model together with displacement and stress tables over properties and components for each load. This is the most complete option and produces the largest report.

After the option is selected, press Finish to close the wizard and generate the report structure. The generated report can be further edited, extended or reduced in the Report Designer.

Note: Selecting a non-empty template does not generate the actual report content (tables and plots) — it only prepares the report structure. The content is created when the report is generated from the Report Designer.

Show on startup - show project wizard window every time a new project is created.

Properties

Edit the opened project data:

All the settings are the same as described in New Project chapter.

Model file path - location of the model file.

Project Details - a project number, report version and a project name;

Engineer details - a company and an engineer details who prepared this project;

Customer details - a company for whom the project is prepared;

Note: Engineer and Customer details are default settings for each new report.

- save engineer/customer data to the library;

- load engineer/customer data from the library.

Open Project

Project can be selected fro, the list of available projects:

Note: If there are no saved SDC projects, a message will appear:

Note: If only one SDC project is saved, it will be opened automatically.

Save/Save as

Save the project to existing file or define a new file name (Save as):

Copy Results Folder - the results of loads/standards calculated in SDC Verifier will be copied to a new folder and will be used in the saved project.

Warning:

SDC projects are saved together with a workbench project. Otherwise SDC project changes will be lost.

The Ansys Model file will not be saved.

Export Parts to File

Export current project parts (Views, Components, Recognition Tools, Reports) to the file that can be imported in another project. Select the items from the list to be exported and select the location to save the file:

Import Parts from File

Import project parts (Views, Components, Recognition Tools, Reports) from the selected file that was created by Export Parts to File command.

Note: Project that uses different model from the one the information was exported should be checked manually as the ids of the items (e.g. elements, materials, loads) can be different and consequently some information can be mixed up or will not exist.

Project Preferences

Common settings of SDC Verifier that will be used for all projects.

Automatic Backup

To prevent loosing of data in SDC Verifier use option Automatic Backup. It is possible to set the time intervals between the savings in minutes. By default, Automatic Backup is enabled and the time interval is 5 minutes. The Save With Model option allows to save the model after the project is saved.

If the project is saved, the backup file is stored in the project directory with the name "/Project Name/_backup type_/date_time/.ansb". If the project is not saved, the backup file is stored in the Model file directory with "/Model file Name/_backup type_/date_time/.ansb". Where backup type is "auto backup", "backup" or "daily backup":

If SDC Verifier detects an unexpected exception, the file with the name "/Project Name/_restore.ansb" will be created with the last project data.

Rendering Options

Use SDC Graphics Window (BETA) – when enabled, the 3D View tab is displayed in the main window. Results plotted from the main window and in reports are rendered using the SDC Graphics Window.

Network

The Network options are recommended to be set only if the Internet connection is through Proxy Server and SDC Verifier fails to send the registration request or error reports.

Results saving

Select the type of results to be stored to the disk - load or check results by the selected load types.

Report Settings:

Update model before report generation - show notification to update the model information from Mechanical before the report generation.

Recalculate jobs before report generation - clear all results for Load Sets and Load Groups and recalculate them.

Fix Small Numbers Format - if a number is not zero, but after formatting display 0 then the number is shown in the scientific format.

Save and Load Report Items Content - keep Report Designer structure generated even after reopening the project. Option is used for all new Report Designers and can be overridden in the Report Settings of each Report Designer.

Load Type in Load Title - displays full type (e.g. Individual load) or abbreviation (e.g. IL) in a title of the load chapter.

Scratch Folder

The Scratch Folder option defines the location for storing temporary files during calculations.

Table rows count Limitation

If Warning about rows count over limit is selected a warning message for the tables with the row count more than the limitation count will be displayed. Generation of tables that do not match the condition will not be displayed in the report.

Default view (center, rotation, magnification)

Options are set for the default view when a new SDC Verifier project is created.

Use isometric view settings - rotation around X axis = 35.26439°; around Y = -45°; around Z = 0°. Center and magnification values are obtained after the model is auto scaled;

Use current view settings - rotation, center and magnification will be taken from the position of the model at the moment the new project is created;

Other

Read Each Body as Separate Property - by default SDC Verifier groups all Ansys Bodies into Properties by the same material, same cross section (for line bodies) or by the same thickness (for shell bodies). Turn on the option to read each body as a separate property. This may help in running recognition tools (e.g. 'Split Plate if Different Property IDs' option in Panel Finder Tool)

SDC Verifier does not update automatically the model from Mechanical. To prevent problems with different models in Mechanical and SDC Verifier check the option Update model before analysis;

Read Results using DPF - results from Mechanical will be read using Ansys Data Processing Framework (DPF). It is available for Ansys 2023 R2 and newer. For older versions of Ansys, results will be read using ACT result reader;

Show confirmation before deleting - displays the message with a confirmation.

Update recognition tools on project opening - updates joints, beam members, welds, buckling plates if the model was modified since the last project's save;

Show wizard on new project startup - display a project wizard window every time new project is created;

Export to Excel using COM object - create Excel file and open it. Requires installed MS Excel;

Participate in Excellence Program - allow the software to securely collect usage data to understand how it is utilized and identify areas for improvement in future updates. Participation remains anonymous and is not linked to personal identification, ensuring privacy and objectivity.

DPI awareness - enable the different DPI scaling behavior;

Show Model Changelog on Project Opening - displays window with an information of original and new items (elements, beam members etc.) count. Window is displayed after project opening and if the model was changed.

Other Page "File" Commands

Renumber IDs - renumber Ids for all items in the project starting from ID = 1.

Warning:

Renumbering the result items where the results can be stored to the files (jobs, loads, checks, standards) will lead to results clearing with a confirmation message since they are linked to the files by their IDs.

Close - unload the current SDC project and asks if the project has to be saved;

Shortcuts

The following settings can be defined in SDC Verifier for Main Window.

To open Shorcuts Manager window execute File - Misc - Shortcuts from the ribbon to edit shortcuts.

Appears the window with commands shortcuts are able to be set:

There are shortcuts set by default like Ctrl+N, Ctrl+O etc. Press Reset to clear shortcuts set default shortcuts.

To set shortcut select cell in table in column Gesture, press keyboard combination and press Enter. It is possible to set 2 combinations sequence for the command which should be typed in order as set.

If combination is already set or can not be added to sequence the warning message appears:

To restore selected combination that was set previously press Esc.

To delete selected combination press or Del button.

Also there are filters for commands and categories:by choosing from the list one or typing its name.

There is an ability to share shortcuts file using buttons Import and Export.

Page "Home"

This page contains the following commands:

• Update Model - synchronize model information (elements, properties etc.) from Mechanical with SDC Verifier project;
• View - add new View;
• Analyze - run analysis of active Job in Ansys. Submenu contains commands to select a different job for analysis or Analyze Multiple jobs and standards to be calculated;
• Report Layout - allows customizing an appearance of the generated content;
• Results Manager - allows to operate with calculated by SDC Verifier results that are saved to files and choose the result folder location;
• Export Results - export selected criteria/contour plots that were previously created in Jobs and Standards to Ansys Mechanical;
• Governing Loads - finds the critical (governing) loads from a large group of load combinations.
• Peak Finder - finds all peak zones based on the output results and presents them using a special plot and a summary table.
• Freebody - calculates a balanced set of forces/moments on a chosen part of a model.
• Optimization Tool - optimize structure design;
• SDC API - automate the process of interaction with SDC Verifier.
• Run Script - installs or runs a script prepared by support team to manage/fix specific requests on a software.

If script is predefined - it is required to install the script only once and it will be added to a list of predefined scripts and the message with the instructions how to run the script will appear:



If script is not predefined - to run the script it is necessary to select the script file each time.

• Run Predefined Script - opens window to select a predefined script to be run.

Page "Settings"

This menu contains:

• Unit System - used for the conversion units in check calculations;
• Legend Settings - define the legend style for different result categories;
• Number Formats - define the display style of numbers in the tables;
• Edit Library - manage Standards, Wind, Number Format, Legend Settings and Shapes libraries.

Page "Recognitions"

These menu commands are for model recognition:

• Recognize All - run automatic recognition of all recognition tools;

If any recognition tool contains recognized structural items - the window with the options to be applied for existing items will appear:



After the recognition process is finished, the window with the summary information will appear:



Recognition tools that require a manual intervention are marked with warnings in the round brackets.

• Joints Finder - recognize joints (1D, 2D, 3D, beam-plate and user joints);
• Beam Member Finder - recognize length in y, z and torsional directions;
• Beam Section Finder - group beam elements by planes XY, YZ, ZX and Custom;
• Panel Finder - recognize sections, plates, stiffeners, girders and their dimensions automatically;
• Weld Finder - recognize welds on the model;
• Connection Finder - recognize beam-to-beam connections on the model;

Page "Tools"

• Free Edge - automatically finds free edges between the elements
• Moment Shear Force - is for checking the validity of a ship;
• Interpolation - allows to display stress variation along the selected line between two mesh nodes;
• Weld Force Summation - is used to summarize Grid Point Forces over welds recognized by Weld Finder. The results of the tool are used in Weld Checks;
• Moment Ratio - calculates the moment ratio on the ends of the member found by Beam Member Finder;
• Effective Plate Width - calculates plate effective width for stiffeners recognized in Panel Finder;
• Stress Gradient - calculates related stress gradient coefficients;
• Braces Stress - calculate axial, in-plane and out-of-plane bending stresses for braces recognized in Connection Finder;
• Braces Classification - calculate percentage of brace classification (K, TY, Cross) in the connections recognized in Connection Finder depending on what load is applied;
• Rainflow Counting - determine the number of fatigue cycles presented in a load-time history;
• Multiaxual Fatigue - used to calculate the data required for multiaxial fatigue;
• Compression Only Support - simulation of compression only support by creating dependency loads and modifying Load Sets to reach 0 reaction at the support nodes;
• Plate Edge Stresses - extract stresses from edges of buckling plate using linear method;

Page "Standards"

Add predefined or custom standards to your project. Standards on this page are organized by check type, which makes it easier to find the appropriate standard for a specific analysis task. A full list of available predefined standards is described in the Standards chapter.

Standards by Check Type

Instead of being grouped by vendor, all standards are now sorted according to the type of check they support. The following categories are available in the ribbon:

• Plate Buckling – standards used for plate buckling checks.
• Beam Buckling – standards used for beam buckling checks.
• Fatigue – standards used for fatigue analysis.
• Weld Strength – standards used for weld strength verification.
• Joint & Connection – standards used for joints and connections.
• Bolts – standards used for bolted connection checks.
• Static Stress – standards used for static stress checks.
• Piping – standards used for piping checks.
• Fire Design – standards used for fire design verification.

Click any category to open a drop-down list of the standards available for that specific check type and select the one you want to add to the project.

Search Standards

The Search Standards field on the left side of the ribbon allows you to quickly locate a standard by typing its name, code, region, or any related keyword — for example ISO, connection, or Australia. Matching results appear instantly in a drop-down list as you type; click any entry to add the corresponding standard to the project.

Additional Buttons

• Add Custom Standard – a shortcut to quickly create a new user-defined standard.
• Standards Settings - set Input values (Constants, Characteristics, Classifications) of the predefined standards;

Page "Help"

Contains commands to open help topics, request a license etc.

• Help Topics - Opens an online help on Get Started chapter;
• Website - visit SDC Verifier website;
• Tutorials - open a page with available tutorials at SDC Verifier website;
• YouTube - open SDC Verifier YouTube channel with list of demos/webinars;
• Log File - Open - open the file that contains detailed information about errors. It is recommended to send this file and the error description to [email protected]
• Log File - Open File Location - open a directory where the log file is located;
• Check for Updates - Check if a new version is available:



• Check for Notifications - checks on messages or important information from SDC Verifier. Messages are displayed at the bottom right pop up window. Critical messages are shown in the separate window;
• About - dialog with SDC Verifier information: