I have what is probably a very simple question, but for the life of me, I can't find mention of it in the manuals.
What I would like to do is take two separate Caesar files, modeled by different people, representing a main run and a branch, and combine them at the branch point. Is there a way to merge and link files, or do I need to start re-entering data?

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.

Good morning Ian,
The "add piping input files" function is very useful. The question of documentation had me searching for a while - some is in the technical manual page 159 combining independent files. The input screen "Kaux" has the command. Some things to be careful about : check that input units and coordinate axis are same, and that the node number ranges do not overlap. The connecting node (branch point) between the two models should be the only common node number. The "list, block" functions can take care of the node re-numbering and rotating portions of the model after being merged, but the input units must be consistent before merging.