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Results should be compared with appropriate theoretical results whenever possible. In most cases, one would use theory to obtain order-of-magnitude estimates rather than to make a head-to-head comparison since presumably FEA is being used because a theoretical solution is not available. In this case, however, one can easily determine the forces in the truss members using the method of joints from statics. I'd recommend that you take a few minutes during commercials on your favorite TV show to calculate the forces and compare them with your ANSYS results.

Exit ANSYS

Utility Menu > File > Exit

Select Save Everything and click OK.

This is just a quick introduction to ANSYS to give you a flavor of what a full-fledged engineering package looks like. If it felt unfriendly or cumbersome, you are not alone; I went through this myself (otherwise, congratulations! you are a genius). It takes some getting used to. Believe it or not, it gets a lot easier to use with time. You have a lot of years ahead of you to gain the experience necessary to harness the power of finite-element analysis. All the ANSYS features including the underlying theory are documented online and can be accessed using Utility Menu > Help. There are tutorials available in the documentation which are also useful.

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