Engineering Solutions

Element Based Surface: Adjust Normal Tab

Element Based Surface: Adjust Normal Tab

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Element Based Surface: Adjust Normal Tab

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The Adjust Normal tab allows you to display and reverse normal direction for surfaces defined on 3D shell, membrane, rigid and 2D beam, pipe, and truss elements.  For these elements, the normal directions are used to define the SPOS or SNEG face identifiers. In Engineering Solutions, surfaces can be displayed in two ways: by special face elements or by contactsurfaces. The surfaces defined on 3D shell, membrane, rigid elements are displayed by face elements while surfaces on 2D beam, pipe, and truss elements are displayed by contactsurfaces. The normal directions of the contactsurfaces are part of their display. However, the normal directions of the faces have to be turned on for displaying. Use the Display normals checkbox to display the normals of the faces.  Use the Size: entry box to define the size of the normals before selecting the Display normals checkbox.

Note:3D solid and gasket elements are also displayed by face elements.  But, the normal direction do not have any meaning for them.

contact_mgr_adj_normal_tab

There are two options for reversing normals: (a) Reverse all normals at a time, (b) Reverse normals by individual faces or contactsurfaces.

(a) Reverse normals: All option has the following buttons:

Reverse

Reverses normals of all faces for 3D shell, membrane, rigid elements and all contactsurfaces for 2D beam, pipe, truss elements in the current surface.

Note: The normals of the underlying elements are not reversed.  It reverses the normals of the faces or contactsurfaces only.

 

(b) Reverse normals: By element option has the following buttons:

Element faces

Opens the Element Selector panel.  For 3D shell, membrane, rigid elements, pick the faces (not the underlying elements). However, for 2D beam, pipe, truss elements, pick the elements themselves as the contactsurfaces can not be picked from the graphic area. The corresponding Reset button resets the selected elements.

Reverse

Reverses normals of the selected faces for 3D shell, membrane, rigid elements and contactsurfaces of the selected 2D beam, pipe, truss elements.

Note: The normals of the underlying elements are not reversed.  It reverses the normals of the faces or contactsurfaces only.

 

 

See Also:

Element Based Surface: Define Tab

Element Based Surface: Delete Face Tab

Element Based Surface: Optional Parameters Tab