I have a sol 101 with multiple subcases and my objective is for nastran to complete one subcase, wait till an external code post-processes the results for the completed subcase (for example say calculate a user defined failure criteria). If the failure criteria is >=1 proceed to the next subcase and repeat the process, but if its < 1 exit the nastran run.
I've heard people recommending me iSHELL but is this something that can be used readily or is there a learning curve that is associated to this?
As with anything dealing with Nastran, this can be simple or very difficult. To start with, look in the Installation and Operation Guide and search for "ishell"... you will find info and reference to a sample.
Also, I have attached an old paper that might give you some insights.