There are many different ways to create geometry which include importing from external CAD models, as well as creating new geometry from scratch. The methods used to create a particular geometry depend on both the entities available for input and the level of detail required. The following methods are available for creating geometry:
| • | xyz - Creates by specifying (x,y,z) coordinates (Nodes panel). |
| • | on geometry - Creates at graphically selected locations on points, lines, surfaces and planes (Nodes panel). |
| • | arc center - Creates nodes at the center of the arc that best approximates the input set of nodes, points or lines (Nodes panel). |
| • | extract parametric - Creates nodes at parametric locations on lines and surfaces (Nodes panel). |
| • | extract on line - Creates evenly spaced or biased nodes on a selection of lines (Nodes panel). |
| • | interpolate nodes - Creates evenly spaced or biased nodes by interpolating between existing nodes in space (Nodes panel). |
| • | interpolate on line - Creates evenly spaced or biased nodes by interpolating between existing nodes on a line (Nodes panel). |
| • | interpolate on surface - Creates evenly spaced or biased nodes by interpolating between existing nodes on a surface (Nodes panel). |
| • | intersect - Creates nodes at the intersection of geometric entities: lines/lines, lines/surfaces, lines/solids, lines/planes, vector/lines, vector/surfaces, vector/solids and vector/plane (Nodes panel). |
| • | temp nodes - Creates nodes by duplicating existing nodes or creating nodes on existing geometry or elements (Temp Nodes panel). |
| • | circle center - Creates nodes at the center of the circle defined by exactly three nodes (Distance panel). |
| • | duplicate - Creates nodes by duplicating existing nodes. This is available in many panels when the "duplicate" advanced entity selector is available on a nodes input collector. |
| • | on screen - Creates nodes by pre-selecting existing geometry or elements and clicking on the locations to create the nodes. This is available in any panel that has a node or node list input collector (Picking nodes on geometry or elements). |
| • | Misc. API commands that do not have an associated panel. |
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| • | xyz - Creates free points by specifying (x,y,z) coordinates (Points panel). |
| • | arc center - Creates at the center of the arc that best approximates the input set of nodes, points or lines (Points panel). |
| • | extract parametric - Creates free points at parametric locations on lines and surfaces (Points panel). |
| • | intersect - Creates free points at the intersection of geometric entities: lines/lines, lines/surfaces, lines/solids, lines/planes, vector/lines, vector/surfaces, vector/solids and vector/plane (Points panel). |
| • | suppressed fixed points - Creates free points at suppressed fixed point locations (Point Edit panel). |
| • | circle center - Creates free points at the center of the circle defined by three free or fixed points (Distance panel). |
| • | duplicate - Creates free points by duplicating existing free or fixed points. This is available in many panels when the "duplicate" advanced entity selector is available on a points collector. |
| • | Misc. API commands that do not have an associated panel. |
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| • | on surface - Creates fixed points at existing node/free point locations on/near a surface (Point Edit panel). |
| • | defeature pinholes - When defeaturing pinholes, fixed points are created at the center of the each removed pinhole (Defeature panel). |
| • | Misc. API commands that do not have an associated panel. |
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| • | xyz - Create lines by specifying (x,y,z) coordinates (Lines panel). |
| • | linear nodes - Creates linear lines between nodes (Lines panel). |
| • | standard nodes - Creates standard lines between nodes (Lines panel). |
| • | smooth nodes - Creates smooth lines between nodes (Lines panel). |
| • | controlled nodes - Creates controlled lines between nodes (Lines panel). |
| • | drag along vector - Creates lines by dragging nodes a specified distance along a vector (Lines panel). |
| • | arc center and radius - Creates arcs by specifying the center and radius (Lines panel). |
| • | arc nodes and vector - Creates arcs by specifying two nodes and a vector (Lines panel). |
| • | arc three nodes - Creates arcs by specifying three nodes on the circumference (Lines panel). |
| • | circle center and radius - Creates circles by specifying the center and radius (Lines panel). |
| • | circle nodes and vector - Creates circles by specifying two nodes and a vector (Lines panel). |
| • | circle three nodes - Creates circles by specifying three nodes on the circumference (Lines panel). |
| • | conic - Creates conic lines by specifying the start, end and tangent locations (Lines panel). |
| • | extract edge - Creates lines as copies of surface edges (Lines panel). |
| • | extract parametric - Creates lines at parametric locations on surfaces (Lines panel). |
| • | intersect - Creates lines at the intersection of geometric entities: plane/lines, plane/surfaces, plane/elements, plane/plane and surfaces/surfaces (Lines panel). |
| • | manifold - Creates linear and smooth lines on surfaces using nodes (Lines panel). |
| • | offset - Creates lines by offsetting lines a uniform or variable distance (Lines panel). |
| • | midline - Creates lines by interpolating between existing lines (Lines panel). |
| • | fillet - Creates fillet lines between free lines (Lines panel). |
| • | tangent - Creates tangent lines between a line and a node list or line (Lines panel). |
| • | normal to geometry - Creates lines perpendicular to lines, surfaces and solids from node or point locations (Lines panel). |
| • | normal from geometry - Creates lines perpendicular from node or point locations on lines, surfaces and solids (Lines panel). |
| • | normal 2D on plane - Creates lines that lie on a plane, are perpendicular to a line, and are defined from node or point locations (Lines panel). |
| • | features - Creates lines from element features (Lines panel). |
| • | duplicate - Creates lines by duplicating existing lines. This is available in many panels when the "duplicate" advanced entity selector is available on a lines collector. |
| • | Misc. API commands that do not have an associated panel. |
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| • | sphere center and radius - Creates three dimensional sphere surface primitives by specifying the center and radius (Surfaces panel, Spheres panel). |
| • | torus center and radius - Creates three dimensional torus surface primitives by specifying the center, normal direction, minor radius and major radius (Surfaces panel, Torus panel). |
| • | torus three nodes - Creates three dimensional torus surface primitives by specifying three nodes (Surfaces panel, Torus panel). |
| • | drag along normal - Creates surfaces by dragging lines along their normal (Surfaces panel). |
| • | ribs- Creates and modifies simple ribs between two surfaces (Ribs panel). |
| • | fillet - Creates constant radius fillet surfaces across surface edges (Surfaces panel). |
| • | from FE - Creates surfaces that closely fit a selection of shell elements (Surfaces panel). |
| • | meshlines - A toolkit for creating lines associated to shell elements for advanced selection or surface creation (Surfaces panel). |
| • | auto midsurface - Creates midsurface geometry automatically from multiple surfaces or solids (Midsurface panel). |
| • | surface pair - Creates midsurface geometry from one surface pair (Midsurface panel). |
| • | duplicate - Creates surfaces by duplicating existing surfaces. This is available in many panels when the "duplicate" advanced entity selector is available on a surfaces collector. |
| • | Misc. API commands that do not have an associated panel. |
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| • | block - Creates three dimensional block-shaped solid primitives (Solids panel). |
| • | cylinder full - Creates three dimensional full cylinder solid primitives (Solids panel). |
| • | cylinder partial - Creates three dimensional partial cylinder solid primitives (Solids panel). |
| • | cone full - Creates three dimensional full cone solid primitives (Solids panel). |
| • | cone partial - Creates three dimensional partial cone solid primitives (Solids panel). |
| • | sphere center and radius - Creates three dimensional sphere solid primitives by specifying the center and radius (Solids panel). |
| • | sphere four nodes - Creates three dimensional sphere solid primitives by specifying four nodes (Solids panel). |
| • | torus center and radius - Creates three dimensional torus solid primitives by specifying the center, normal direction, minor radius and major radius (Solids panel). |
| • | torus three nodes - Creates three dimensional torus solid primitives by specifying three nodes (Solids panel). |
| • | torus partial - Creates three dimensional partial torus solid primitives (Solids panel). |
| • | bounding surfaces - Creates solids by converting closed surface shells which define the solid boundary (Solids panel). |
| • | spin - Creates solids by spinning surfaces around an axis (Solids panel). |
| • | drag along vector - Creates solids by dragging surfaces along a vector (Solids panel). |
| • | drag along line - Creates solids by dragging surfaces along a line (Solids panel). |
| • | drag along normal - Creates solids by dragging surfaces along their normal (Solids panel). |
| • | ribs- Creates and modifies simple ribs between two surfaces (Ribs panel). |
| • | ruled linear - Creates solids by interpolating linearly between surfaces (Solids panel). |
| • | ruled smooth - Creates solids by interpolating smoothly between surfaces (Solids panel). |
| • | duplicate - Creates solids by duplicating existing solids. This is available in many panels when the "duplicate" advanced entity selector is available on a solids collector. |
| • | Misc. API commands that do not have an associated panel. |
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