Yes, you can merge files. The suggested procedure is as follows:
- Error check the secondary job to ensure you won't be including any errors in your main job.
- Error check the main job, just to simplify things before you merge.
- Go back to input on the main job, and on the toolbar, click the button that has a "file cabinet and a piece of pipe". This will open a dialog box to control the merge.
- In this dialog, select your secondary file, set the ReadNow Flag to "no", the Rotation about the Y axis to whatever you need, and the Node Increment to whatever you need.
- Click [OK] and then plot the model to check the combined system.
The reason you set the
ReadNow Flag to "no", is because the
merge isn't permanent yet, and you can make changes to fix things easily. For example, if the secondary job comes in with an incorrect orientation, you need to change the rotation about the "Y" axis. Just go back to the "Include Piping Files" dialog and change the angle.
You probably need to adjust the "connect point" of the two models. Sometimes you can get away with adjusting the node number increment so that the first point in the secondary job ends up (after the incrementation) with the same value as the connect point in the main job (assuming the 1st point in the secondary job is the connect point). Often times this isn't possible, so you have to use a "restraint with CNODE".
Once you are satisfied that the merge is correct and you have what you want, you can return to the "Include Piping Files" dialog, and change the
ReadNow Flag to "yes", if you desire. The advantage to changing this flag is that the secondary job's data is physically merged with the main job - you could delete the secondary job file if you want. This is optional and up to you.