|
If you don't find the information you need in the knowledge base, please contact Technical Support.
- Licensing and Installation
- Using FormingSuite®
What are the system requirements for installing and running FormingSuite®?
The minimum system requirements for installing and running
FormingSuite® are:
All Software (Except FASTFORM MultiStage and FAST Incremental)
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 (Service Pack 2) or Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 2)
- 32 or 64 Bit Processor (min Pentium 3)
- Minimum 1GB+ RAM (2GB recommended)
- Minimum 10GB Free Hard Disk space
FASTFORM MultiStage
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 (Service Pack 2) or Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 2)
- 32 or 64 Bit Processor (min Pentium 3)
- Minimum 2GB+ RAM
- Minimum 10GB Free Hard Disk space
FAST Incremental
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 (Service Pack 2) (Recommended) or Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 2)
- 32 or 64 Bit Processor (min Pentium 3 - Dual or Quad core processor recommended for best performance)
- Minimum 2GB+ RAM (4GB+ recommended for 64-bit systems)
- Minimum 20GB Free Hard Disk space
What information is required to request a trial license?
When you install the software, an email will be generated that will include your name, company and formingid. Send this email to support@forming.com and we will send you a seven day trial license. Note that trial licenses will only be provided to users who provide legitimate information when requesting and installing the software.
What is a formingid and how do I determine mine?
A FormingID is a composite ID generated from various components of your PC.
It is used for license generation to ensure that the license can only be
used for the specified machine.
A FormingID is generated automatically during installation and can also be
generated manually using lmformingid.exe. See below for where to
download this executable.
Where can I download the lmformingid.exe file?
The lmformingid.exe utility will return the code you need to send to us when requesting a license for the FormingSuite® software. This code is automatically generated during installation. If you want to determine the formingid prior to installation, you can download the lmformingid tool from here.
Where can I download the latest FlexLM utilities for my server license?
The FlexLM utilities can be downloaded from the FormingSuite downloads page. You will require a username and password to access the downloads page (please contact FTI for this information). These files are suitable for Windows based license servers. If you require the FlexLM utilities for a different server, you can download them here. You will also need the FTI server daemon. Please contact Technical Support to request the appropriate server daemon for your OS.
What FlexLM version should I be using for my server license?
You should be using FlexLM version 11.4 or newer. The appropriate files can be downloaded from the FormingSuite downloads page. You will require a username and password to access the downloads page (please contact FTI for this information).
My license server is running but the client can't get a license. What's wrong?
Firewalls on the server are the most common cause of this problem. If there is a firewall running, you should create exceptions for FTI.exe, lmgrd.exe and open ports 27000 to 27009 (or the port specified in the license file).
What is the difference between a server and a nodelocked license?
Server licenses allow licenses to be floated over a network. Server licenses control the number of concurrent users of the software. For example, if you have 5 server (also called floating) licenses, 5 people can access the software at a time. As soon as a user exits the software, the license becomes available for other users to access.
Nodelocked licenses are locked to a single computer using the hardware ids.
Does FormingSuite® support Windows Vista or Linux?
FormingSuite® has been tested in Windows Vista and appears to work fine. We recommend WindowsXP for best performance.
We do not currently offer a special version of FormingSuite® for Linux. FormingSuite® may run under Wine (also requires installation of the Visual C++ 2005 SP1 redistributable and MS .Net 2.0 Framework) however we can not guarantee that this will work.
What does "Date Licensing Error" mean?
The "Date Licensing Error" is caused by rolling your system clock back.
If this error message occurs you should contact Technical Support.
How can I move my nodelocked license from one computer to another?
If you want to permanently move a nodelocked license from one computer to another and you are currently up to date with maintenance, fill out a License Transfer Request and send it to support@forming.com. To download the request form, click here.
What are the differences between FASTBLANK®, FASTFORM®, and FASTFORM® Advanced?
FASTBLANK® is the blank development tool for quick and user friendly calculation of blank shapes. It includes a thickness strain result plot and the ability to apply basic process conditions (pilot holes & slots).
FASTFORM® is the formability product that considers more process conditions, and hence results in more precise blank estimates when simulating complex scenarios. It includes more detailed formability plots and the ability to apply additional process conditions (blankholder force, pressure pads, and drawbeads).
FASTFORM Advanced® is the most advanced formability solution to analyze the most complex processes. It includes a rich set of result plots and forming conditions (advanced constraints, curved binders, tailor welded blanks, springback, user defined blanks)
How do I export a blank from FormingSuite®?
To export a blank from FormingSuite® you must go to the blank geometry workbench.
Right click on the Blank 1 branch from the blank geometry workbench in the
feature tree and select Export from the menu to display to Export dialog
box. The dialog gives you two options for orientation and three
options for the type of entities to export.
If the original orientation is chosen, the blank will be exported in the same orientation as the original part. If the
tipped orientation is chosen, the blank will be exported using the tipping
coordinate system and the blank will be in the X-Y plane.
NOTE: If an addendum or smoothing has been applied there
will be multiple branches, allowing you to export the different
blanks.
How do I plot a blank with FormingSuite®?
To plot a blank with FormingSuite®, go to the blank geometry workbench. You can only print if a default printer has
been set up.
Right click on the Blank 1 branch from the blank geometry workbench
in the feature tree and select Plot from the menu to display to Print
dialog box.
NOTE: If an addendum or smoothing has been applied
there will be multiple branches allowing you to plot the
different blanks.
My Excel report is not working. How can I fix it?
If your security settings in MS Excel are set too high, the macros
used to generate the Excel report may not run. You can solve this
problem by setting the security settings to low (in the Tools/Macros
menu).
If your corporate security policy does not permit the above
solution, you can also create a security certificate that will
permit the FormingSuite® report macro to run even when the security
is set to high. To create a security certificate do the following:
- From the Windows Programs menu, choose Microsoft Office -> Microsoft
Office Tools -> Digital Certificate for VBA Projects,In the Create Digital Certificate dialog type the name you want to
display (i.e. “Forming Technologies Inc.”), and click OK,From within Excel, open the Visual Basic Editor (using the tool/macros menu),Choose Tools -> Digital Signature,In the Digital Signature dialog, click Choose,In the Select Certificate dialog, select the certificate to use (created in step 2), and click OK. Click OK again to close the Digital Signature dialog, &
- Save and Close a workbook.
Once the code is signed, you may see a Security Warning when you open a workbook
again. -> Select the option “Always trust macros from this
publisher” and click Enable Macros.
Now you won’t see the warning every time you open a workbook that is signed.
How do I customize my Excel report template?
The templates for the Excel reports are located in the FormingSuite/Templates folder. You can customize these files to change the format of your Excel reports.
The numerical data is placed in cells identified by name. When you click on a cell, the name of the cell is shown in the top left corner of the display immediately under the File menu and icons. To move data to a different cell, change the name of both the original cell (where the data was) and the new cell (where you want the data to appear). You can change text and formatting with no consequence.
How can I edit the contents of my HTML report?
After generating an HTML report, you can open it using Microsoft word (or other software capable of reading HTML files) and make any edits as required. When finished, save the document in HTML format.
Why do the HTML report graphics look fuzzy?
The graphics in the HTML report are a screen shot from FormingSuite® that has been sized to fit on one page. Internet Explorer and Firefox don't display resized images very clearly. Printing the document should produce clear graphics. For viewing, Microsoft Word will display the images more clearly.
Where can I find material properties for my material?
The best place to find material properties is from your material supplier or your customer. This will ensure that properties match what can be expected in production. When dealing with international materials, several steel, aluminum, stainless steel, copper and other material suppliers offer foreign equivalent charts on their web sites.
What are the best IGES settings to use in my CAD system?
If you have problems reading IGES files into FormingSuite®, try changing the IGES export settings used in your CAD system. In SolidWorks, we find that the NURBS option works best. In CATIA V5, the B-Spline surfaces seem to work most reliably. In other systems, a little experimentation should yield consistent results.
Why does my start menu not allow me to create a new forming analysis?
The start menu not allowing you to create a new forming analysis is caused
by one of two things:
- You have not checked out the proper modules from the License
Configuration area of the License Manager (Tools > License >
License Manager button). Ensure that you check the modules
for which you are licensed.
- It may also be caused by registry problems, the key were not
created or were improperly created. This can be resolved by installing the software with administrative permissions.
Why is my part not skinning properly?
Skinning problems are usually the result of problematic geometry. You can easily handle this situation in FormingSuite® Check your part for edges that aren't sharp or extra surfaces that shouldn't be in the model. You can delete the problem surfaces and then create a new domain to use for the skin. There is a useful video demonstrating this in the online help system.
What can I do if my graphics aren't showing up properly?
If your graphics aren't showing up properly you should decrease your
hardware acceleration settings. Open the Control Panel > Display >
Settings Tab > Advanced > Troubleshooting and use the slider to turn
the hardware acceleration settings down. Generally you should decrease
the hardware acceleration to none if you are experiencing problems.
|
