ESATAN-TMS erg and etms

Note

TASverter is unable to read ESATAN-TMS erg and etms format files, and you are advised to use ESATAN-TMS 2021 or newer to do so.

Please use the STEP-TAS converter provided with ESATAN-TMS 2021 or newer to export erg and etms geometry to STEP-TAS, and to import from STEP-TAS. Note that older versions with STEP-TAS interfaces handled a more limited set of features, and have known problems with node numbering and meshing.

ESATAN-TMS 2021 introduced an up-to-date STEP-TAS interface with validation that is able to save all thin shell GEOMETRY primitives to STEP-TAS, that provides:

  • The most up-to-date STEP-TAS Import/Export facility, with validation

  • The recommended way of converting ESATAN-TMS erg files to/from STEP-TAS

  • ESATAN-TMS can still read most ESARAD-R5 erg files.

To export your geometry from ESATAN-TMS Workbench to STEP-TAS the top level model shell must have been assigned: you cannot export an incomplete model that is under construction, and shells and materials that are “unused” in the main model hierarchy will note be exported. You must first close the model, and then select the File/Export/To STEP-TAS option, and then choose the model to be exported. The exported STEP-TAS file can then be found in the relevant ESATAN-TMS_Models/model/user folder. Information, warning and error messages can be found in an associated log file.

To import a STEP-TAS file into ESATAN-TMS Workbench, the process is a little different. Again you should first close any open model, then select the Utilities/STEP-TAS Converter option, and browse to the STEP-TAS file. The converter will first check whether the file conforms to the STEP-TAS standard, which is quite strict, and will then try to extract as much of the geometry as it can and write it to an erg or etms file which you can then load as normal. Any error messages are recorded in a log file.

Be aware that double-sided inactive shells are ‘invisible’ in ESATAN-TMS and may not be imported/exported as you might expect.

Note that ESATAN-TMS now offers solid volume shells, and some exotic shapes for representing a torus and pipe geometry, but these are not supported by the current version of the STEP-TAS protocol.