Desktop Engineering - IMAT v2.2 More than an Interface

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IMAT v2.2 More than an Interface

Interface lets you to import CAE and test data into MATLAB.

by DE Editors | Published July 4, 2007

ATA Engineering, Inc. has announced version 2.2 of its IMAT suite of utilities for importing CAE and test data into MATLAB from The MathWorks. IMAT (Interface for MATLAB, Analysis, and Test) is more than its name. It lets you directly import your test and simulation data into MATLAB where you can beat on it with MATLAB’s engineering-targeted tools. IMAT retains all your data attributes, so you can immediately begin postprocessing and comparing tests versus analysis results for your Nastran and Abaqus results in MATLAB.

IMAT Toolbox, the heart of the IMAT suite, serves as your framework for importing Abaqus, I-deas, MSC.Nastran, and NX Nastran FEA (finite element analysis) simulations as well as acquired test data into the MATLAB environment. Once data are in MATLAB, you can leverage MATLAB’s full programming and mathematical functionality for such operations as matrix multiplications and repetitive data calculations.

IMAT Toolbox imports data with all of its attributes, such as mode shapes, time histories, and spectra, retained for use in MATLAB. In total, IMAT preserves some 40 data attributes for MATLAB, and FEM entities such as coordinate systems, nodes, elements, and tracelines can also be imported. IMAT provides utility functions that allow for coordinate transformations and plotting, enabling you to display and animate mode shapes as well as create AVI files.

IMAT imports test data universal file formats (.unv) into MATLAB, and IMAT supports files written from Brüel & Kjær’s I-deas Pro test software. Common test data attributes including reference coordinates, response coordinates, abscissa type, ordinate type, number of data points, and resolution are supported. These attributes are associated to the x,y data through the IMAT object model.

IMAT Toolbox also includes three vertical solutions — IMAT+, IMAT+Testkit, and IMAT+RTK — addressing vertical application needs. The IMAT+ vertical application provides advanced functionality and features for working with Abaqus and Nastran simulation data. It also has a new full-featured GUI for plotting and editing functions.

The IMAT+Testkit is a collection of utilities that offers functionality to help test engineers with test planning and postprocessing. IMAT+Testkit includes modal (vibration) testing utilities for selecting the optimal accelerometer and exciter location, procedures for reducing a full FEM down to the test-measured degrees of freedom, as well as curve-fitting routines for extracting shapes from the test data.

The IMAT+RTK application helps you obtain response characteristics and discover insights into the mechanics of rotating events. This tool applies Vold-Kalman filtering techniques to order-tracking of rotational events, and it uses time-history data files from simulations or real-time data collections to process and visualize the spectral properties of events.

This suite of utilities will save you hours of time because it will get your data into a leading engineering toolbox directly with next to no fussing around. For full details on IMAT v2.2 or to register for a demo version, visit ata-e.com.

ATA Engineering
San Diego, CA
ata-e.com

The MathWorks
Natick, MA
mathworks.com