1. Creating a project

The identification tag for this tutorial is PDS-AAA.

1.1. Notice to Light Edition (LE) users

The Light Edition (LE) licence allows users to design and test single leg subsurface or surface moorings.

1.2. Tutorial overview

This tutorial covers:

• Creating a simulation project using the ProteusDS Simulation Toolbox (PST)
• Navigating the PST window
• Introducing input files and properties

1.3. Creating a new project

A project must be created to begin building and editing a simulation.

• Open ProteusDS by clicking on the ProteusDS Simulation Toolbox (PST) icon from the Windows Start Menu. The ProteusDS core applications are found in the ProteusDS folder in the Windows Start Menu.

ProteusDS relies on an input folder to contain the files associated with a simulation. A new folder should be created for each new project.

When PST is opened, a new project is automatically generated, but the project is not saved. Use the Save button to specify where to save the project.

Note

There can be only one project placed in a folder. If you save your simulation to a folder that already contains simulation files, the old files will get overwritten.

• Click the Save button in the top “Project” ribbon.
• A new project window will appear. To the right of “Working folder”, click Browse and navigate to the desired working folder.
• Fill in a project name, a project identifier (optional), and a description (optional).
• Click OK.

A new folder will be created in the working directory named with the project name. The folder will contain the simulation files.

Multiple copies of PST can be opened to manage different projects simultaneously. As an alternative, a copy of an existing project can be made using the Copy button and selecting a new simulation project folder. Every simulation must have a simulation (sim.ini), library (lib.ini), and environment (env.ini) input file.

As new DObjects are added to a project, new .ini files are created in the project folder when the project is saved.

1.4. Navigating the PST window

The upper left side of the PST window is the Project Explorer. This displays all input files in the current simulation.

• Click Environment to view the current environment input file (env.ini).

The right side of the PST window is the Input Panel. This displays the current input file with all the active properties in blue font. The lower left side of the PST window is the Property Description Panel. This displays the documentation for the property that is currently selected. This panel displays information such as: property description, maximum and minimum values, and units.

Property descriptions appear in the Property Description Panel when the cursor is on the same line as an active property in the Input Panel. For some input files, the Input Panel moves to the bottom right. The top right side of the PST window is the Section Editor Panel. This displays groups of properties that can be selected, such as Features.

• Click Library in the Project Explorer to see an example of this. Features in the library input file will be explained in later tutorials.

1.5. Input and data files

Every DObject in a simulation requires a unique input file. The input files contain the properties that describe the object for the simulation.

The default environment and simulation properties have automatically been populated by PST. All active properties have a $ character before the property name and each property is followed by the property value. Property values are either numbers or strings. Sometimes vectors or matrices of numbers are required. All numbers can be written as integers or using scientific notation with the E or e character (e.g. 1e3 = 1000). Vector and matrix entries are separated by white space.

ProteusDS presently uses only a point (.) as the decimal radix separator between integer and fractional numbers (e.g. 3.14159). In countries where a comma (,) is used (e.g. 3,14159) as the decimal radix separator, within ProteusDS you must use the point convention instead. Information on the specific parameters can be found in the ProteusDS User Manual.

As a simulation executes, the results are written in data files in a results subfolder located within the project folder.

1.6. Opening the visualizer window in PST

The visualizer window allows the user to view the orientation all the dynamic objects (DObjects), such as cables and rigid bodies, in 3D before the simulation is run. Visualizing the simulation will help to position DObjects in the simulation.

• To open the visualizer click the Visualizer button or press F4.

An empty 3D visualizer window will appear. This window will populate with DObjects as they are added into the simulation. Adding DObjects and navigating the visualizer window will be explained further in the following tutorial.

• To switch back to the main PST window when viewing the visualizer, press F4.