Windows Environment Variables

Adding ANSYS_MACROLIB

In order for Ansys to use the toolbar shown above and the rest of the tool library, Ansys needs to know where to find them. Add the ANSYS_MACROLIB environment variable as shown below.

Open "Control Panel -> System" and click on the "Advanced Tab" and then the "Environment Variables" button:

Then under "User variables for ...,", click the "New" button and enter the Variable Name and the paths you want Ansys to search. Paths are separated by semicolons. I have Ansys first search my working folder called "c:\ansys\dee" (use whatever folder you want for this). Then specify the location of the folder where the tool library is located. This folder must match the one defined in the shell script "getmacs". The getmacs script is located at http://btdt.org/prog/ansys/apdl/getmacs and should be saved in the "c:\cygwin\usr\local\bin" folder.

Adding the Tool Library to the PATH Environment Variable

Some of the tool macros call external programs using the /SYS or /SYP commands. In order for Ansys to find these programs, the tool library folder also needs to be in the User's PATH environment variable. Click "OK" and then highlight the User Variable "path" and click the "Edit" button (create a New path variable if you don't have one) and add the "c:\ansys\apdl\tools" to the path (again separate paths with semicolons):

Click the "OK" button

Create APDL_TOOLS Environment Variable

So that external programs know where the tools are, create and APDL_TOOLS environment variable with the folder containing the tool library.

NOTE: Use forward-slashes "/" instead of back-slashes "\" here.

Click on the three "OK" buttons and exit Control Panel. The next time you start Ansys, it will pick up the location of the tools and the new path variable.