Translating nodes

Use Node Translate to move a group of selected nodes a specified distance. With Node Translate, you can either translate the selected nodes (A) or copy and translate those nodes (B).

Translating nodes by aligning two vectors

You can use the Align Vectors option in the Node Translate dialog box to translate the nodes between a source vector and a target vector. With the Align Vectors option, the software rotates the nodes around the origin of the source vector using a rotation angle that is equal to the angle between the vectors. With the Align Vectors option, the relative position of all selected nodes with respect to the source vector remains the same with respect to the target vector after the translation.

For example, in the following graphic, AB is the source vector, CD is the target vector, and N is the selected node:

In this example, the software:

• Translates the source vector AB so that point A coincides with point C. Node N is translated accordingly.

• Rotates vector AB such that AB overlaps with vector CD. Node N is rotated accordingly, with N’ being the final destination of node N.

Translating nodes using a scale factor

You can use the Scale Model option in the Node Translate dialog box to translate the node’s coordinates in the X, Y, and Z directions based on specified scale factors.

For example, consider two nodes, N1 and N2, with the following coordinates:

• N1: (50, 50,50)

• N2: (100, 100, 100)

If you specify a Scale X factor of 1, a Scale Y factor of 2, and a Scale Z factor of 3, the software translates the nodes to the following new coordinates:

• N1: (50, 100, 150)

• N2: (100, 200, 300)

Deforming a mesh based on results using the By Field option

You can use By Field option the Node Translate dialog box to translate the location of nodes in a mesh based on the displacement results from a structural analysis.

To translate nodes based on results, you must:

1. Perform a structural analysis on a model.

2. Use the results from the structural analysis to create a new field that stores the X, Y, and Z locations of the nodes along with the value of the result at each node. For example, to deform a mesh based on displacement results, you create the field using the X, Y, and Z locations of the nodes as well as the magnitude of the displacement at each node.

3. Use the By Field option in the Type list of the Node Translate dialog box to deform the mesh based on the displacement results.Note: The Independent Domain for the translation field can be either Node ID (if you are using a deformation of the same mesh to translate the nodes) or Cartesian (if you are either applying deformations from a different model (mesh) or if you are using a deformation of the same mesh).

In the graphic below, (A) shows the original mesh on the bottle. (B) shows some of the displacement results from the original nonlinear analysis of the structure. (C) shows the deformation of the mesh based on those displacement results.

Note:

When you use a field to deform a mesh, the results the you use to create the field must be in the global Cartesian coordinate system.

Where do I find it?

Application	Pre/Post
Prerequisite	An active FEM file
Command Finder	Node Translate
Menu	Edit→Node→Node Translate

Quick links

Command reference

Pre/Post video examples

Bulk Entry Descriptions

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Translating nodes, Simcenter 3D 2021.1 Series

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