Modifying the type of elements

Choose Nodes and Elements tab→Elements group→Element Modify Type to modify the type of selected elements without regenerating the entire mesh. With the Element Modify Type command, you can easily change the type of element used in a mesh to another type within the same element topology.

Note:

Modifying the order of elements with the Element Modify Type command is faster than changing the order of elements by editing an existing mesh.

For example, you can use the Element Modify Type command to change:

• A mesh of 1D bar elements to a mesh of 1D beam elements.

• A mesh of Nastran RBE2 elements to a mesh of RBE3 elements.

• A mesh of 2D plate elements to a mesh of 2D plane strain elements.

However, you cannot use Element Modify Type to change a mesh of 1D bar elements to a mesh of 2D plane elements.

Modifying the type of elements after a solver environment change

The Element Modify Type command is particularly useful when you modify the solver environment in which an existing mesh was defined. When you change solver environments, if the type of elements in the existing mesh does not directly map to an element type in the new solver environment, the software makes the mesh inactive in the Simulation Navigator. You can use the Element Modify Type command to manually change the elements to a new type of the same typology and reactivate the mesh.

Limitations

• You can use the Element Modify Type command to modify all types of meshes, except for meshes on target faces in a 2D Dependent Mesh. However, you can use Element Modify Type to change the type of elements used on a master face in a 2D Dependent Mesh. In this case, the software then also modifies the element type of the mesh on the target face.

• You cannot use the Element Modify Type command in the axisymmetric structural or axisymmetric thermal environments.

• You can use Element Modify Type to modify an existing mesh of RBE2 or RBE3 spider elements that contain more than two nodes to a mesh of non-spider 1D elements. In this case, the software splits each RBE2 or RBE3 element with n leg nodes into n two-noded 1D elements.

Element associated data

With the Element Modify Type command, the software retains the element associated data from the original mesh if the data is supported by the new element type. If the data is not supported by the new element type, the software deletes the data and issues a warning message. The following tables provide detailed information about the retention of element associated data with 0D and 1D elements.

0D Elements

Original element type	Original element associated data	Is element associated data preserved when the modified element type is:
Lumped Mass	Spring	Bushing
Lumped mass	Mass	Yes	No	No
Spring	Stiffness	No	Yes	No
Bushing	Orientation	No	No	Yes

1D Elements

Original element type	Original element associated data	Is element associated data preserved when the modified element type is:
Beam	Spring	Bushing	Gap
Beam	Section orientation: vector	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Section orientation: third node	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Pin Flags – End A	Yes	No	No	No
Pin Flags – End B	Yes	No	No	No
End A offset in Nodal displacement CSYS	Yes	No	No	No
End B offset in Nodal displacement CSYS	Yes	No	No	No
Spring	Stiffness	No	Yes	No	No
Bushing	Section orientation: vector	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Section orientation: third node	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Section orientation: coordinate system	No	No	Yes	Yes
Gap	Section orientation: vector	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Section orientation: third node	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Section orientation: coordinate system	No	No	Yes	Yes

Where do I find it?

Application	Pre/Post
Prerequisite	An active FEM file
Command Finder	Element Modify Type
Menu	Edit→Element→Modify Type

How do I

Reset node and element IDs

Learn more

Manually creating elements

Extruding elements

Projecting elements

Reflecting elements

Revolving elements

Rotating elements

Translating elements

Splitting shell elements

Swapping the diagonals between triangular elements

Splitting 1D elements

Detaching elements from a mesh

Attaching elements into a mesh

Creating a mesh from a cloud of points

Rib detection and removal within a mesh

Thickening a 2D mesh

Convex meshes for FEM acoustics analyses

Acoustic chamber meshes for panel transmission loss analyses

Open duct end meshing for acoustics

Combining triangular elements

Modifying element order

Moving nodes in 2D elements

Modifying element labels

Modifying element connectivity

Deleting elements

Extracting elements from a mesh

Locking and unlocking a mesh

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Modifying the type of elements, Simcenter 3D 2021.1 Series

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