GNS Animator 4

The Leading Post-Processor for FEM Analysis

In 1998 CDH AG acquired marketing, sales and support rights from GNS mbH, the developer of the Animator software, to distribute the FEM Post-Processor in America, Europe and Asia.

Animator4 is a high performance and resource efficient FEA post-processor for animation and analysis of extremely large finite element models. Animator4 supports a wide range of finite element analysis (FEA) and interfaces to popular commercial FE solvers including LS-Dyna, Pamcrash, Radioss, Nastran, Abaqus and Madymo.

The development of Animator4 began in the early 1990s. The first commercial version, known as Animator3, was released in October 1996. The successor of Animator3, Animator4 was released in year 2009. Today Animator4 is being used by almost all automotive companies world-wide, a large number of aerospace companies, and the chemical industry.

Features

Extremely fast FEA post-processing and visualization utilizing latest computer technologies and resources efficiently.
Intuitive graphical user interface (GUI)
- Easy to learn - easy to use
Powerful visualization features
- support of multiple render modes
- Multi-slot visualization technology
- Cross section views
- Stereoscopic 3D options to support 3D animation using 3D glasses.

Correlation and overlay of crash-test videos with FEA results.
Animator4 supports calculation of missing camera parameters using reference points selected by the user.
Animator4 command language supports generation of session files for batch processing. The TCL scripting interface allows customization of GUI and user defined post-processing functionality.

Extensive graph and curve functionality to visualize nodal and element time history data and to perform mathematical analysis operations and/or apply filters (e.g. SAE, CFC) for complex safety analysis algorithms (HIC, VCC, etc.)
The reporting and documentation module allows users to prepare reports supporting direct and comfortable access to Animator4 FEA results and visualizations, graphs, curves, etc.

3D Interfaces

Abaqus	fil File, odb File, Input File
Ansys	RST-Database
Advcluster	ADVENTURECluster adv files
Autogrid	General Autogrid Output data
Database4	HDF5
Gom	GOM ASCII files
Hyper3d	Altair h3d binary files
Iges	ASCII
Indeed	ASCII Output Files
Jt	Binary and ASCII
LS	Dyna d3plot File (plain and femzipped), Input File
Madymo	KIN3, hdf5
Marc	Binary (t16 files), ASCII (t19 files)
Medina	bif/bof
Nastran	OUTPUT2 Database (plain and femzipped), Input File
Pamcrash	DSY-Database (plain and femzipped), Input File
Patran	Neutralfile
Radioss	Annn, Dnn, Ynnn, Tnn files, Input File
StarCD
STL	ASCII
Universal	ASCII-Files, Dataset Number 55, 56, 57, 82, 115, 2414
Vdafs	ASCII
VRML	ASCII

Graphic performance

3D PERFORMANCE FRINGE PLOT

3D PERFORMANCE SHADED

*Graphic performance was measured using the FRAPS software (http://www.fraps.com) to determine Frame per Second (FPS) value. FEM Post-Processors configured for maximum graphic performance using NVIDIA OpenGL accelerated graphics.

BENCHMARK MODEL

LS-DYNA 3D benchmark model: 10 million nodes, 21 setps

Courtesy note:
This model has been developed by The National Crash Analysis Center@(NCAC) of The George Washington University under a contract with the FHWA and NHTSA of the US DOT. The LS-DYNA result file was supplied by LSTC and FUJITSU LIMITED for the FEM Post-Processing benchmark.

COMPUTER HARDWARE INFORMATION

Benchmark was performed on HP Z230 Workstations
OS: Microsoft ®Windows7proSP1 64bit
CPU: Intel ® Xeon E5-1271 v3 @3.6GHz (Intel Haswell-EP, 4 Cores)
RAM: 32GB_RAM_DDR3
Graphic: NVIDIA® Quadro Graphic Cards K4000, K2200, K2000

TH Interfaces

Abaqus	odb
Dyna	ASCII, binary
Madymo	hdf5
Pamcrash	THP
Radioss	th, thx
Diadem	ASCII
ISO-MME	ASCII
XY-data	ASCII

System Requirements

Model	Graphics	Operating System
Linux
with XFree 4.0	all OpenGL supported graphic cards	all major distributions, 32 and 64 bit
WIndows
PC	all OpenGL supported graphic cards	Windows 7 (64 bit) Windows 8 (64 bit) Windows 10 (64 bit)