Engineering Solutions

Translate panel

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Translate panel
Translate panel

Use the Translate panel to move entities in a single specified direction. All selected entities move the same distance and parallel to each other.

HM_Panels_bmp00383

Selected entities highlight as shown above.

HM_Panels_bmp00384

In this example, the translation will occur in the direction from N1 to N2.

HM_Panels_bmp00385

In this example, the selected elements have moved in the direction of N1 to N2.

Subpanels and Inputs

There are no subpanels on the Translate panel. All inputs and command buttons are located on the main panel.

Panel Inputs

Input

Action

entity selector

Select entities for translation. Valid entity types include nodes, elements, components, lines, surfaces, systems, groups, points, multibodies, ellipsoids, multibody planes, solids, blocks, and connectors.

When you select nodes or elems, click the switch to change the selection mode.

nodes

Select individual nodes.

faces_edges_nodes

faces

Select all of the nodes on 2D and 3D faces.

If there are discontinuities on a 2D face, then only the nodes inbetween the discontinuities will be selected.

faces_edges_faces_nodes

2D faces ext

Select all of the nodes on a 2D face that contain discontinuities.

faces_edges_2d_face_ext_nodes

loops

Select all of the nodes on continuous free edges that make a closed loop simultaneously, such as the perimeter of a hole.

Only valid for SHELL elements.

faces_edges_loops_nodes

free edges

Select all of the nodes on free edges of elements.

If there are discontinuities on an edge, then only the nodes on the free edges inbetween the discontinuities will be selected.

Only valid for SHELL elements.

faces_edges_free_edges_nodes

free edges ext

Select all of the nodes on free edges of elements that contain discontinuities.

Only valid for SHELL elements.

faces_edges_free_edges_ext_nodes

edges

Select all of the nodes on free edges or shared edges (butt joints, L/corner joints, and T-joints) of elements.

If there are discontinuities on an edge, then only the nodes on the edge inbetween the discontinuities will be selected.

Only valid for SHELL elements.

faces_edges_edges_nodes

edges ext

Select all of the nodes on free edges or shared edges (butt joints, L/corner joints, and T-joints) of elements that contain discontinuities.

Only valid for SHELL elements.

faces_edges_edges_ext_nodes

elems

Select individual elements, or select all of the elements contained by a component or on a surface.

faces_edges_entities

faces

Select all of the elements on 2D and 3D faces.

If there are discontinuities on a 2D face, then only the elements inbetween the discontinuities will be selected.

faces_edges_faces

2D faces ext

Select all of the elements on a 2D face that contain discontinuities.

faces_edges_2d_faces_ext

coordinate system

Choose between coordinate system types: global system and local system. Use global system to translate entities relative to the global coordinate system; Use local system to translate entities relative to a local coordinate system. Local systems can be rectangular, cylindrical, or spherical.

•	When a local system is selected, a base node selector allows you to specify an origin for the translation. While this translation origin is unimportant within rectangular coordinate systems, it may affect the translation when using cylindrical and spherical coordinate systems.

•	When no node is selected as the base node, the selected local system’s origin serves as the base node.

•	Local systems are created in the Systems panel.

direction selector

Determine the direction in which selected entities will be moved.

magnitude =

Choose between a specified number of units or a derived one.

•	For magnitude = type a non-zero number into the text box.

•	For N2-N1 the vector between the N1 and N2 nodes determines both the magnitude and the direction.

scale=

Specify a value to scale the vector between the N1 and N2 nodes. The value you specify must be between 0.1 and 10. By default, the scale value is 1.

This option is only available when magnitude= N2-N1.

face angle / individual selection

Face angle

The face angle is the angle between the normal of facets that share an element edge. A facet can either be a shell element itself, or one of the faces of a solid element. The normal of triangular facets is that of the plane defined three corner vertices. Whereas, the normal of quadrilateral facets is calculated by taking the cross-product between its two diagonals. This special treatment for quadrilaterals is because a warped shape does not lie completely on a plane.

Only available when the entity selector is set to nodes or elems and the selection mode is set to faces, 2d faces ext, free edges, free edges ext, edges, or edges ext.

Individual Selection

Select individual elements on a face or select individual free/shared edges of elements.

Only available when the entity selector is set to nodes or elems and the selection mode is set to faces, free edges, or edges.

edge angle

Splits edges that belong to a given face.

When the edge angle is 180 degrees, edges are the continuous boundaries of faces. For smaller values, these same boundary edges are split wherever the angle between segments exceeds the specified value. A segment is the edge of a single element.

Only available when the entity selector is set to nodes and the selection mode is set to free edges, free edges ext, edges, or edges ext.

Command Buttons

The following action buttons appear:

Button

Action

translate +

Translate the selection in the positive direction. For example, when translating nodes along the x-axis this would move each selected node to a higher X coordinate value.

Note:

If the magnitude is negative this actually moves the coordinates to lower X values.

translate -

Translates the selection in a negative direction. For example, a node at X,Y,Z coordinates (50,33,42) translated along the global x-axis with a magnitude of 5 would move to (45,33,42).

reject

Reverts the last translation. Only the most recent translation can be rejected; to undo multiple translations, simply translate in the opposite direction. Each positive translation can be undone by a negative translation of the same magnitude and direction.

return

Completes the translation and exits the Translate panel.

Note:

This also clears your selections.

Notes

•	To undo, translate in the opposite direction without changing any of the input data (for example use the same direction and magnitude settings).

•	When translating components, all of the geometry (points, lines, surfaces, and connectors) and elements (nodes) contained in the component are automatically translated.

•	Translating nodes or elements does not change connectivity or continuity of a mesh.

•	Translating only some of the nodes of an element may result in distortion of the element.

•	Translating surfaces may affect edge topology, that is, shared edges becoming free edges.

•

Translating elements or surfaces independently breaks any associations between the surfaces and the elements (nodes) created on them. Using reject will restore the associations if only one translation has been made, but translating in the opposite direction (as described above for "undoing" a translation) will not do so. Lost associations can also be restored via the Node Edit panel.

•	Translating realized connectors will not unrealize them or translate the associated elements.

•	When using spherical or cylindrical local coordinate systems, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis buttons in the plane selector don’t change. In such cases, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis options correspond to the first, second, and third axes of such systems.

Common Errors

You may encounter the following error messages when trying to perform an invalid translation function. Use the information included here to solve the problem.

•	N3 should not be selected for a direct move from N1 to N2.

When using the magnitude = N2-N1 option, you cannot use N3 to define the direction of translation; the direction is wholly defined by N1 and N2.

•	N1N2N3 and vector options do not utilize local coordinate system information.

When using either one of these options for the plane selector, set the coordinate system to global system.