LS-PrePost

Introduction

LS-PrePost is an advanced pre and post-processor that is delivered free with LS-DYNA. The user interface is designed to be both efficient and intuitive. LS-PrePost runs on Windows, Linux, and Unix utilizing OpenGL graphics to achieve fast rendering and XY plotting. The latest builds can be downloaded from LSTC's FTP Site.

The prefered way of accessing LS-Prepost is through OnDemand's desktop application.  This gives you a preconfigured enviornment with GPU acceleration enabled.

Availability

LS-PrePost is available on Oakley cluster. The versions currently available at OSC are:.

Version Oakley
v3.2 X
v4.0 X*

 

 

 

 

*: Current default version

Usage

Usage on Oakley

Set-up on Oakley

To view available modules installed on Oakley, use  module spider lspp . Use  module load name  to load LS-PrePost with a particular software version. For example, use  module load lspp/3.2   to load LS-PrePost version 3.2 on Oakley.

Running LS-PrePost on Oakley through OnDemand's Destkop

Below are instructions on running LS-PrePost on Oakley through OnDemand desktop interface with GPU acceleration enabled.  To run LS-PrePost with a slower X-tunneling procedure, see the specified instructions below.

  1. Log in to OnDemand with your HPC username and password.
  2. Launch Oakley Desktop from "Interactive Apps" menu. 
  3. Provide # of hours, use "1" for "Number of nodes", and choose "vis" as "Node type"
  4. Once your job is ready, launch the job, open "Applications menu -> System tools -> terminal", and use the following commands to launch the application:
module load lspp/4.0
module load virtualgl 
vglrun lspp4

At startup LS-PrePost displays a graphical interface for model generation and results post-processing.

Running LS-PrePost on Oakley with X-11 forwarding

The following procedure will result in a much slower and GUI interface, but may be useful if the above instructions are not working.  It can be done completely from the command line, with no need for logging into OnDemand.  You may need to edit your terminal settings to enabled x11 forwarding.

  1. Login to Oakley with X11 forwarding enabled:  ssh -X username@oakley.osc.edu
  2. Submit a Interactive job: qsub -I -X -l nodes=1:ppn=12 -l walltime=hh:mm:ss -A ProjectID
  3. Once the job is stared, load the LS-PrePost module and start up LS-PrePost application:
module load lspp/4.0
lspp4

A x11 window should pop up.  If you get a error along the lines of:

Error: Unable to initialize gtk, is DISPLAY set properly?

Double check that you:

1) logged in with x11 forwarding enabled

2) have configured your x11 settings for your terminal

3) included the -X with the qsub command

4) have a x11 client running on your computer (Xming, Xorg, XQuarts, etc.).

Documentation

Documentation for LS-PrePost may be obtained at: http://www.lstc.com/lspp/

Fields of Science: 
Aerospace Engineering
Civil Engineering
Manufacturing
Materials
Mechanical Engineering