FEAview Installation
Download FEAview from our site.

Double click on the installer, FEAview.exe, to install FEAview. (This file will normally be downloaded but it could be from a CD.) When you run FEAview for the first time, you'll be asked to enter your registered name and serial number into a registration dialog. The serial number is quite long so copy it from the invoice and paste it into the registration dialog.

Python Installation

FEAview is enhanced considerably when the Python interpreter is also installed. Python is used to define and evaluate curves and surfaces, for other numerical analysis functions, and for tasks where a scripting language is useful. Whether you have any interest in Python or not, you are encouraged to download, install it, and perform the additional setup needed for FEAview (definition of a PYTHONPATH environmental variable) as explained below.

• Python requires an independent download and installation.
• FEAview can operate without Python while you are getting started but, without Python, FEAview is running in a somewhat crippled mode.
• I downloaded Python 2.4.3 from www.python.org and ran the Python installer program for a very painless installation. You will be safe with either Python version 2.3.x, Python 2.4.x, or Python 2.5.
• No additional packages are necessary for any of FEAview's current curve and surface definitions. The Python scripts supplied with FEAview import all necessary functions from Python's built-in math package. See the curves.py and surfaces.py files in the directory <install_directory>\python for Python functions which constitute the program's current curve and surface library.

Delete Python24.dll
After you install Python, you should delete <install_directory>\python24.dll. This is a placeholder to keep the program from bombing when Python is absent.

Other Links of Interest:
Other links are listed below that might be of interest. The first three packages are highly recommended.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/numpy	Numerical Python	The most fundamental package, Numpy. This provides vector, matrix, and other numeric capabilities.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/scipy	Scientific Library for Python	Scipy is a package of tools for science and engineering. It includes modules for statistics, optimization, integration, linear algebra, Fourier transforms, signal and image processing, genetic algorithms, ODE solvers, and more.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/matplotlib	Python Plotting Library	A plotting package with a Matlab™- like syntax.
www.python.org		Documentation, tutorials.
http://www.python.org/topics/scicomp/		Python and Scientific Computing
http://www.wxPython.org/	wxPython	GUIs

FEAview and Python Setup

To verify your Python installs, type: "python", then at the >>> prompt type, "import math ". If there aren't any complaints, you're almost ready to go. You've installed the software but now you have tell FEAview where to find it. Under Windows, press the control and Z keys simultaneously (control-Z) to get out of Python.

Run FEAview again and click on the Set/Show menu item. Click on "Set Paths menu subitem. The following dialog is posted:

• 	Wordpad (Notepad doesn't work) or other editor to view external files. Needed to view FEAview and Nastran files. (Note reference to cygwin program).
  	The path to the Python interpreter.
  	If you intend to do any programming, set the path to one of several Python IDEs available. You can get as fancy here as your Python skills will let you. The program defaults to IDLE which comes with Python. Assuming that Python is installed in C:\Python24, the inputs for IDLE are: 1.) For the IDLE IDE, enter: "C:\Python24\pythonw.exe" (in this case not an IDE but the command line Python interpreter to run the IDLE script file). 2.) The IDLE Script File: C:\Python24\Lib\idlelib\idle.pyw
  	The path to Nastran if you have a Windows version. Otherwise you need to use a telnet program to login into a Linux machine and to execute Nastran.

Define the PYTHONPATH Environmental Variable

You need to define the PYTHONPATH environmental variable to tell FEAview where to find the scripts written for it. This is done by entering a semi-colon delimited path into the environmental variable PYTHONPATH.

Right click on My Computer, on Properties, on the Advanced tab, then on the Environmental Variables button. The posted dialog contains two scrollable edit boxes. In the "System Variables" section press the New button. Another smaller dialog is posted. Enter "PYTHONPATH" in the Variable name edit box. In the Variable value edit box enter a string such as that contains <install_directory>\Python. For example, if you installed FEAview in C:\FEAview, enter: C:\FEAview\Python. This path tells Python where to find additional Python scripts.

To test the installation, restart FEAview and click on File->Open Files->Open Modeling File and select <install_directory>\data\Gallery\kleinbottle.model. Most curves and surfaces are doubly defined, for the Warp function processor and for the Python interpreter. This surface is one of the few currently defined only as a Python script. It is a little too complicated for the function parser.