1. A method of converting geometric entities of 1D elements in a finite element model (FEM) from a source finite element analysis (FEA) tool format to a destination FEA tool format, comprising: transforming the coordinates of all the geometric entities associated with each 1D element in the FEM, in the source FEA tool format, from a local coordinate system to a global coordinate system; and converting the geometric entities of the 1D elements from the source FEA tool format to the destination FEA tool format using the transformed coordinates of all the geometric entities associated with each 1D element.