ADD ELEMENT

 

          Click on ELEMENT(S) button to open the SELECT ELEMENTS dialog box as shown in Figure 4.4.3. There are three options available for selecting elements in the display screen and/or active database. They are SELECT BY CURSOR, SELECT BY, selection by Displayed (elements on the display screen) and All Elements (in active database).

Figure 4.4.3 Select Element dialog box

 

          If the checkbox for SELECT BY CURSOR is toggled on, the user can select elements using the following methods.

                                      1.      Click on  (Element) icon to select an element using mouse cursor and/or pressing the left mouse button and move the mouse cursor over the desired elements to select multiple elements.

                                      2.      Click on  (Surface) icon to pick elements on a surface. 

                                      3.      Click on  (Drag Window) icon to pick elements inside a window defined by two diagonal corners.

                                      4.      Click on  (Free Region) icon to pick elements inside a free hand region.

                                      5.      Click on  (Spread) icon to pick elements by chained approach based on spread angle which is the angle difference between normal vector of an element and normal vector of its adjacent elements. The slider can be moved to adjust the spread angle. If the angle formed by the normal vectors of the selected element and the adjacent element is less than the selected angle, the adjacent element is selected.

                                      6.      Click on  (Multi-Point Region) icon to pick elements inside a polygon. Click the left mouse button in a sequence to define the polygon.  Click the right mouse button to reject the last point. Click the middle mouse button to complete polygon definition and element selection.

                                      7.      Click on  (Circular Region) icon to pick elements inside a circle.  Click the left mouse button to define the center of the circle and hold the left mouse button. Move the mouse to define the circle.  Release the left mouse button to complete definition of circle and element selection.

 

SELECT BY

          If the SELECT BY option is toggled on, two approaches can be used to select elements.  The user may select elements by Part and/or Range by clicking on the drop down button as illustrated in Figure 4.4.4.

Figure 4.4.4 Select element by Part and/or Range

Figure 4.4.5 Select element by Range

1.           SELECT BY PART

Refer to Section 4.4 for procedure to select a part. All elements in the part will be selected when this option is chosen. Then, click on the Done button to complete the operation. Figure 4.4.4 illustrates select element using Part option.

2.        SELECT BY RANGE

Type the range of element ID in the input box as illustrated in Figure 4.4.5, following by clicking on Done button to complete the operation.  All elements within the desired range will be selected.

 

FILTER

          If the Filter option is toggled on, user can select the specifically element type through this option. User can click the FILTER TYPE button to set the element type. The Element Filter Type dialog box is illustrated in Figure 4.4.6.

Figure Element Filter Type dialog box

There are nine types of element in the Element Filter Type for user to filter. They are Shell, Solid, Beam, Rigid Body, Mass, Spot Weld, Spring/Damper, Thick Shell and Plotel. User can toggle off the unneeded element types to reduce the range of selection.

 

          User can select all elements in the display screen by clicking on the DISPLAYED button.

          The total number of selected elements will be shown in the window.  The EXCLUDE option is used to remove selected elements, while the REJECT function is used to deny last selected elements.

 

          Select OK to complete the element selection and return to the Add…To PART dialog box.