Cylindrical pattern grouping allows you to force OptiStruct to create variables that consolidate the perturbations of active grids along the surface of a cylinder. This can be useful in assigning a circular pattern grouping through the thickness of a solid model.

For a cylindrical pattern grouping (TYP = 5), OptiStruct generates a series of concentric cylinders that run parallel to and are positioned about the first vector. The cylindrical pattern grouping is essentially the linear pattern grouping combined with the circular pattern grouping. The anchor point can be located anywhere, but the first vector must be collinear with the desired central axis for the cylinders.