Compared to HyperMesh, I find Patran incredibly cumbersome and tiresome to use. Patran never seems to update any changes, you have to click many times to update your chnages. Here are some examples:
Create an element - Doesn't add it to the screen unless you move model a bit.
Colour elements...
Probably a bit late now but there is a tutorial on simulating hydrostatic pressure in Patran here:
http://www.mscsoftware.com/support/online_ex/previous_Nastran/Nas120/lesson021.pdf
I have used Hypermesh for around 10 years and Patran for about 2. Patran really is woeful compared to Hypermesh. I find it consistently does things that you don't want it to and doesn't do things you want it to. Oh, I could go on forever. What takes 4 clicks in Hypermesh, takes 24 clicks in...
