Engineering Solutions

Add Links panel

Add Links panel

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Add Links panel

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Use the Add Links panel to add link entities to existing connectors.

Note:The Add Links panel does not allow you to modify link entities already in the connector definition.

Panel Usage

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

Panel inputs allow you to define the connectors you wish to add links to, as well as what components, when, and how to make the links.  A series of command buttons on the rightmost edge of the panel allow you to add links, reject an erroneous creation of links, or exit the panel.

add_links_panel

From the Add links panel you also have direct access to the Connector Options panel, where general and connector type-specific settings can be set. In particular, settings which don’t need to be altered very often are provided there.  The add link function pays attention to the link conservation settings on the spot- and seam- options.

 

Panel Input

Input

Description

location

Select the connector to which new link entities will be added.

connect when

Select one of the following:

•now

Adds link entity information now.  For this option, you must select the connect what entities and # of layers to successfully create a connector.
•at fe-realize

Allows you to set the connector so that the link entities to the connector are determined while realizing the connector.  The link entities are determined by the projections and proximity from the connector location.  For this option, you must specify the type of link entities (comps, surfs, and so on) and the number of layers to create a connector successfully.

connect what

Select the entities to which the connector will connect.

If you chose now for the connect when option, you can select one of the following types of entities:

•comps

Select components to be added as link entities.  You can connect to either the geometry or elements of the selected components.
•elems

Select elements to be added as link entities.
•surfs

Select surfaces to be added as link entities.  You can connect to either the geometric surfaces or elements associated to the selected surfaces.
•nodes

Select nodes to be added as link entities.
•tags

Select tags to be added as link entities.

If the selected entities (comps, elems, and so on) are more than the # of layers, the closest (by proximity) # of layer entities will be added as links.
•assems

Select assemblies to be added as link entities.
•props

Select properties to be added as link entities.
•modules

Select modules to be added as link entities.

If you chose at FE realize for the connect when option, you can select one of the following types of entities:

•comps

The connector links to entire components.
•surfs

The connector links to one or more surfaces.
•nodes

The connector links directly to nodes in the mesh.
•elems

The connector links to nearby mesh elements.
•assems

Select the assemblies to be added as link entities.
•Tags

Select tags as link entities. The actual entities of the selected type are added to the connector when it is realized, based on the closest entities that have valid projections.
•props

The connector links to entire properties.

geom/elems

Connect to either the geometry or elements of selected components, or associated to selected surfaces.

# of layers

Select the number of thicknesses/layers for the connectors.  For 2T, 3T and 4T connectors, select from the pop-up menu.  For connectors that connect more than four layers of entities, select ? and enter the number of layers in the total = entry field that displays.

Reconnect rule

This option is only valid if you select now for the connect when option, and is useful in situations where the parts to be connected have been changed/replaced.  While realizing the connector, Engineering Solutions looks for link entities based on the re-connect rule:

•none

No re-connect rule is defined.  If the link entity is not currently in the model, the connector with this re-connect rule will fail to realize.
•Use id

Use the selected link entity’s IDs to re-connect.  If the link entity is not currently in the model, the connector with this re-connect rule will search for entities with the same ID.
•Use name

Use the selected link entity’s names to re-connect.  If the link entity is not currently in the model, connectors using this re-connect rule search for entities with the same name.

Add links from scratch

With this option activated, the number of layers and the defined links on the selected connectors will be removed in a first step. In a second step, the number of layers is newly defined and appropriate new links will be added.

search tol

While adding link entities to connectors, an optional search tolerance can be used to eliminate entities that are irrelevant.

Note:Connectors can be created with different types of entities; for example, a connector can be defined by selecting a component on one side and a tag on the other side.  This can be done by using connector create panel to choosing one of the entity types and selecting that entity.  Then update the connector with the second type using the Add Links panel.

add links

Update the connector(s) with provided input (if sufficient).

Reject

Undo the connector update.

 

FAQs

hmtoggle_arrow1Can multiple link entities be added to a connector with different rules?

Any number of link entities can be added to the connector with different rules.  A connector can connect a component defined by "elem" state (added with an "fe realize" rule), and a surface defined by "geom" state with the "by id" re-connect rule (added with the "now" rule).  The number of entities that can be added is dependent on the thickness value (T) defined for that connector.

 
hmtoggle_arrow1Can multiple link entities of different entity types be added to a connector with different rules?

Each link entity in a given connector can reference an entity of a different type all while each using different rules and states.

 
hmtoggle_arrow1Can the number of thickness (# of layers) for a created connector be changed?

The number of thickness value can be modified in a connector. This can be done from the connector information table or through a command file or a Tcl script.

 
hmtoggle_arrow1Can the link entity state (elems or geom) be changed after it is added to the connector?

The link entity state can be modified for an entity once it has been added to the connector using the connector table or through a script.

 
hmtoggle_arrow1Can the entity re-connect rule (by id, by name or none) be changed after it is added to the connector?

The entity re-connect rule can be modified once the entity has been added to the connector using the connector table or through a script.

 
hmtoggle_arrow1How can a link entity added to the connector be removed from the connector?

A link entity added to a connector can be removed using the Connector browser or through a script using connector commands.

 

See the Connector Browser for a detailed explanation.

hmtoggle_arrow1How do I add links to connectors created with the now or at fe realize option?

First review the information already stored in the connector using the Connector browser.  The number of entities that can be added to the connector will depend on the number of thickness (T) value.  At any given time the number of link entities added to a connector will be either less than or equal to its thickness value minus the current number of link entities already in the connector definition.  To add more entities change the thickness to a higher value and select the entities and the desired rule setting.

 

 

 

See Also:

Connector Definition

Connector Realization

Connectors Module

Alphabetical List of Panels