Creating Excel worksheets for front and rear suspensions
This tutorial demonstrates a method for creating a single Excel workbook, containing worksheets for front and rear suspensions.
You will need SusProg3D V4.56(or later) and Excel97 (or later).
Note that this tutorial assumes a Roll&Bump calculation range of 16 data
points.
If the number of calculated data points is greater than the Excel range, then
all Excel cells will be blank, so make sure that the Excel range size matches
the Roll&Bump calculation range.
Go to the Tools tab, and then Excel.
This will open the "Export to Excel" dialog and the required number of
cells will shown.
This tutorial uses the SRD912 demo file, but you can use your own data.
We will assume that you have completed the Using Excel to graph Susprog3D data tutorial.
Start Excel, and open a new Workbook (if there is not one already open).
Note that the Excel title bar will show 'Microsoft Excel - Book1'
For this tutorial, I will create two sets of named cells.
Make sure you are on 'Sheet1'.
Add some text to cell A1, "Travel", B1 "Camber"
Select a the block of cells A2 to A17. Then go to Insert -> Name ->
Define, and name this group as s3d_Bump, then "OK"
Repeat with the second block of cells, B2 to B17, and name as s3d_Camber
Shortcut hint. If you don't need your own names, use the group names. Put "s3d_bump" in A1, "s3d_Camber" in B1. Then Excel will automatically use these as the range names.
Start SusProg3D, and open the demo file, SRD912.s3d
Because we didn't append the range names with "LH" or "RH", we will be working with the datum side. The datum is side is the one shown in brackets. Switch it if you prefer the opposite side.
Now go to the Tools tab, and then Excel. This will open the "Export to Excel" dialog.
Notice that (just under the 'Open Excel' button) it shows 'Book1'. This is
the name of the current Excel workbook.
Note also that the datum side is shown.
Don't close the "Export to Excel" dialog. You can minimize it, just
don't close it.
Go to Roll&Bump. Make sure that you are using [Front], and then do a
Roll&Bump Calc.
Because Excel was open, SusProg3D will connect to the currently open workbook
(Book1) and the currently active worksheet (Sheet1)
Both the Travel and Camber cells should have updated.
Go to Roll&Bump, and this time change to [Rear], and then do a
Roll&Bump Calc.
Because Excel was open, SusProg3D will connect to the currently open workbook
(Book1) and the currently active worksheet (Sheet1)
Both the Travel and Camber cells should have updated. But with the rear data!
Now, back to Excel, and rename 'Sheet1' to 'Front', then click on 'Sheet2' to make it the active sheet.
Go to Roll&Bump, change to [Front], and then do a
Roll&Bump Calc.
Because there is a worksheet named 'Front', SusProg3D will make it currently
active worksheet, and update the Travel and Camber cells.
Go to Roll&Bump, change to [Rear], and then do a
Roll&Bump Calc.
Because there is not a worksheet named 'Rear', and the active worksheet is
'Front', no cells have been updated. This demonstrates the safeguard we have by
naming the worksheet 'Front', that an inadvertent calculation of the rear data
will not overwrite the front data.
So now we need to create a 'Rear' worksheet.
But before we do, make sure that you add all the named ranges to the 'Front'
sheet that you will need.
This saves having to create them twice (once for the front, and a second time
for the rear)
Now, we need to copy the 'front' sheet.
Make sure that 'Front' is the current sheet.
Click on the 'Edit' menu, then the 'Move or Copy sheet' command. The shortcut is
Alt+E, Alt+M
Where the dialog says 'Before sheet', select 'Sheet2'.
Then 'tick' the 'Create a copy' box, then OK.
Excel will copy the 'Front' sheet, and create a new sheet called 'Front (2)'. Rename it to 'Rear'.
Now, in the Rear sheet, go to Insert, Name, Define and you will see all the named ranges, but with 'Rear' on the right hand side.
Make sure that the data (ie cells A2:B17) on both sheets is blank.
Go to Roll&Bump, change to [Front], and then do a
Roll&Bump Calc.
Because there is a worksheet named 'Front', SusProg3D will make it currently
active worksheet, and update the Travel and Camber cells. Verify that the rear
sheet has not been updated.
Go to Roll&Bump, change to [Rear], and then do a
Roll&Bump Calc.
Because there is a worksheet named 'Rear', SusProg3D will make it currently
active worksheet, and update the Travel and Camber cells. Verify that the front
sheet has not been updated.
So what we have now done, is to ensure that the front and rear data is correctly identified in the Excel workbook, and that only that data for the appropriate end of the vehicle is updated.
What you may prefer, is that the two source data sheets 'front' and 'rear'
are updated by SusProg3D, and that your graphs and calculations are on other
sheets, referencing back to the source data sheets.
This way you can see the results (perhaps graphs) in which you are interested as
you do the SusProg3D calculations.