If you have a model you’ve created in Ansys Mechanical, you can export the mesh and import it in Thermal Desktop. For this example, I’m working with a very basic block as shown below, but you would most likely have more complicated geometry.
First, you’ll need to generate a BLOCKED format .cdb file from Ansys Mechanical. The easiest way to do this is to build your Mechanical model like normal and then insert a command snippet under the analysis type (Static Structural in my example) in the project tree. The command snippet should look like this:
The first line is what actually creates the .cdb file, but I included the second line since I don’t need to solve this Mechanical model because I only need to create the input file for use in Thermal Desktop. Here is the text for the command snippet so you can just copy and paste it:
CDWRITE, DB, FNAME, CDB,,,,BLOCKED
*ABBR,SOLVE,/EOF !Include this if you don’t want Mechanical to solve.
If you right-click on “Solution” and choose “Open Solver Files Directory,” you’ll see a file named FNAME.cdb in the folder. This is what we’ll import in Thermal Desktop.
Now we can open Thermal Desktop. To import any finite element mesh, you’ll use the FE Mesh Importer under Thermal > Import > FE Mesh Importer. Some finite element codes have their own importers, but I strongly recommend using the FE Mesh Importer since it gives you more control over imports.
In the FE Mesh Importer, switch the file format to “Ansys.” It automatically propagated my Ansys input file since I saved the .cdb file in the same folder as the Thermal Desktop dwg file. You can also import thermal boundary conditions if you wish, or you can just import the mesh. You can also specify the coordinate system here.
Click on “OK” once you’re done modifying the inputs, and you should see your Ansys Mechanical mesh in Thermal Desktop:
If you specified material properties in Ansys Mechanical, they will also be imported (specifically constant density, specific heat, and conductivity). The imported properties can be viewed in the Thermophysical Properties manager in Thermal Desktop.
I also want to note that Thermal Desktop only supports certain types of elements, so I would suggest reviewing which elements are present in your Ansys Mechanical model if the imported mesh doesn’t look correct. Section 18.2.3.6 of the Thermal Desktop User’s Manual has a full table of supported Ansys elements.
If you’re integrating Mechanical models into Thermal Desktop and want to optimize mesh handling, material mapping, or workflow automation, PADT’s simulation team can walk you through best practices and advanced techniques.
Contact us to review your setup or explore deeper thermal‑mechanical coupling strategies.
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