The items in the menu bar control the parameters of various system tasks. Each menu keyword activates a drop-down menu that displays additional commands and actions. The menu bar keywords are shown below:

The following is a brief explanation of the keywords that appear in the Menu Bar. The functionalities covered in each drop-down menu are detailed in later chapters.

The File menu provides access to the many different files used in Patran. File manipulation functionalities include database management, import and export processes, session file handling, hardcopy creation, and session exiting.

The Group menu enables you to create named groups of selected geometric or finite element entities with common characteristics. Grouping makes it possible to visually differentiate sets of entities from one another, as well as to perform various tasks on a number of like entities at the same time. With the Group menu you can also modify, transform, or dissolve groups.

A viewport is a named graphics window through which you look at a model. You may define any number of independent views of different extent and location and each may contain the model, or a portion of the model, in a specific position and display size. The Viewport menu serves to create, modify, and delete viewports.

The Viewing menu manages the position, orientation, and sizing of the view of a model in selected viewports.

The Display menu commands control visualization features such as colors, labels, and highlights of model entities in viewports.

The Preferences menu sets the global parameters for a model’s definition and appearance.

The Tools menu provides access to Patran’s special functions (e.g. Mass Properties) as well as to optional analysis modules that are available on your system.

The Help menu retrieves online documentation for all Patran features and provides various operational tips, such as keyboard shortcuts, mouse functions, as well as tutorial assistance.