A Users'' Manual and Tutorial for Performing COMET Structural Analyses Using an Advanced User-Friendly Interface

The COMET software system is a highly modular and flexible structural analysis system for research in computational methods and for exploration of new multiprocessor and vector computer hardware. These attributes: namely, modularity and flexibility, make COMET attractive to analysts, researchers, and developers in the structural mechanics discipline. However, these attributes contribute to the complexity of the system and make its usage difficult to grasp. Therefore, the development of a user-friendly interface will permit immediate execution of the program by a novice user while providing training through an interactive query mode such that the user will become proficient with the software and hardware. This initial development has been directed toward the generic user who will be performing structural analyses on a component or an assembly of structural components. Future development will enhance this user-friendly interface to support the development of the system by researchers and/or computer scientists.