Use the Freehand panel to morph your mesh without needing domains, handles, or morph
volumes.
Location: Tools page > HyperMorph module
Separate options exist for moving selected nodes directly, recording actions made in other
panels, "sculpting" meshes with different virtual tools, and saving a morph as a
shape.
Changes made on one subpanel do not affect the others, and are persistent so that you
can switch freely between subpanels without losing any settings already made.
Move Nodes Subpanel
Use the Move Nodes panel to directly move specific nodes to new locations while
morphing the surrounding mesh.
You can translate and rotate nodes, move nodes normal to a mesh, move nodes to a
vector, node list, line, plane, surface, mesh, or equation, and apply a shape. For
each morphing option, you can choose whether or not the morphing should be
interactive. You can also control how those node movements apply to the surrounding
mesh.
In the Morph options panel, Morphing subpanel, there is an option for setting the
minimum step size for interactive morphing. If the distance or angle fields are set
to values other than zero the morphing will be performed in discrete steps with the
given step size rather than an arbitrary value based on the position of the mouse
and relative to the size of the model. For example, setting the distance to 1.0
means that interactive translation will be performed in increments of 1.0, such as
1.0, 2.0, 11.0, and so on. For distance, the value is given in model units. For
angle, the value is given in degrees. The minimum step size applies when using the
manipulator or using the translate, rotate, or move normal options.
Option
Action
edge bounding
method
Available when you
morph nodes with selected fixed nodes and affected elements.
Partitioned
Partition all of the affected elements according to the values set in
the Domain panel, Partitioning subpanel before applying morphing.
Inferred Edges
Create local domains for the affected elements for the purpose of
applying the morphing.
Create edge domains along the boundaries of the affected elements which
will regulate morphing.
Free Edges
Create a general domain for the affected elements for the purpose of
applying the morphing. The movement of nodes along the boundaries of the
affected elements is unregulated.
Domain Edges
If you have already created domains, those domains will be used to
determine the way the morphing is applied to the model.
Morph All Nodes
Using a proximity based algorithm, potentially morph every node in the
model relative to the distances between the nearest moving node and the
nearest fixed node.
Krig All Nodes
Using the kriging algorithm, potentially morph every node in the model
except for the fixed nodes. The options used for kriging can be modified
in the Morph Options panel, Domain Solvers subpanel which can be
accessed by clicking options.
Note: A
practical upper limit on the number of moving nodes you can have is
3000. Computers with above average memory and CPU available may be
able to support larger number of moving nodes
comfortably.
Morph Within Envelope
Using a proximity based algorithm, potentially morph every node in the
model relative to the distances between the nearest moving node and to
either the edge of the envelope or the nearest fixed node (if selected).
The envelope can either be defined as a discrete distance using the fix
at distance option, or as a multiple of the magnitude of the
perturbation applied to the nearest moving node using the fix at
multiple option. If the fix nodes option is selected, this method will
act identically to Morph All Nodes.
For options Morph All Nodes, Krig All Nodes, and Morph
Within Envelope, the influence of the moving nodes extends beyond the mesh to which
they are attached, thus you will need to fix or exclude any nodes that you do not
want to have morphed. If you wish to exclude the nodes which are not displayed, set
the selector below the fixed nodes selector to exclude undisplayed. Excluded nodes
will neither be morphed nor will they affect the morphing. If you wish the nodes
which are not displayed to act like fixed nodes, set the selector below the fixed
nodes selector to fix undisplayed. Fixed nodes will influence the morphing by
reducing the amount of morphing of any nearby nodes. If the selector is set to morph
undisplayed, HyperMorph will morph any undisplayed nodes
which are not fixed.
Figure 1
shows how the different methods affect the mesh morphing using the move nodes tool.
For the partitioned option, the inner edge closest to the moved nodes is unaffected
since an edge domain is internally created for it. For the inferred edges option, no
inner edges were created and thus the inner edge ends up curved as its nodes follow
the moving nodes. For the free edges option, no outer edges were created either and
thus the outer edges end up curved as well as the inner ones. For the morph all
nodes and krig all nodes options, note the differences in the methods, especially
the smoothness of the kriging algorithm. For the morph within envelope option, note
how the mesh inside the envelope is linearly perturbed relative to the distance from
the moving node and that no fixed nodes are required. Figure 1. Example: Edge Bounding
movement
direction
Choose the direction
that the affected nodes are projected.
normal to geom
Map nodes to the selected geometry in a direction
normal to the geometry (which may be a different
direction for each node).
along vector
Map nodes in the direction specified by the
vector.
normal to elems
Map nodes in a direction normal to the elements on
which the nodes lie, which may be a different
direction for each node.
Note: Available during any "move to" type of
morph.
movement type
Choose the type of
movement.
manipulator
Click and drag one of the three arrows of the
manipulator to translate the nodes, click and drag
one of the three arcs of the manipulator to rotate
the nodes about the center of the manipulator, or
click and drag one of the three right angles of the
manipulator to move the nodes in a plane. Figure 2. Triad Manipulator. The different place to click on the
manipulator to translate it along a vector, rotate
it about an axis, or translate it in a
plane.
Select or unselect nodes while the manipulator is
active, changing which nodes are affected by the
manipulator. If no nodes are selected, the
manipulator will disappear.
The position of the manipulator will be set at the
center of the selected nodes unless an origin node
has been specified, in which case the manipulator
will remain at the specified node until the
manipulator is moved. Selecting new nodes will
update the position of the manipulator unless an
origin node is specified. Selecting or updating an
origin node will reposition the manipulator at the
new node without morphing the model. An origin node
is helpful when you wish to rotate entities about a
given point.
The orientation of the manipulator will be aligned
with the global axes by default. You may update the
orientation of the manipulator to be aligned with a
local coordinate system or to a specified vector or
plane by using the toggles and selectors below the
manipulator selector. Reorienting the manipulator in
this way will not morph the model.
You may create more than one manipulator at a time
by switching the toggle between single manipulator
and multiple. When switched to multiple, click
new manip to create a new
manipulator by selecting one or more moving nodes.
The different manipulators may have different
selected entities and different parameters, and can
be moved independently of one another. Moving a
manipulator, clicking a manipulator, or simply
moving the mouse over one of the manipulators will
cause the panel to be updated to parameters for that
manipulator, allowing you to change the parameters
or the entities associated with them if you
desire.
The manipulators can be set to be active or inactive
by switching the toggle to either manip:active or
manip:inactive. When active the manipulators will
morph the model when moved. When inactive the
manipulators will only change their own position and
orientation when moved.
translate
Apply a perturbation to affected nodes.
rotate
Apply a rotation to affected nodes.
move normal
Move the nodes in the positive normal direction of
attached elements. For non-planar elements, the
normal average is used.
move to vector
Move affected nodes to a specified vector.
move to node list
Move affected nodes to a spline curve defined by
picking nodes in your model.
move to line
Move affected nodes to a specified line or line
list.
move to plane
Move affected nodes to a specified plane. Use the
plane and vector selector to define the desired
plane, and place the base node where you wish its
center to lie in the model.
move to surface
Move affected nodes to a specified surface(s).
move to mesh
Move affected nodes to a specified group of
elements.
move to equation
Move the nodes to a path or shape defined
mathematically.
Specify a function F(xyz) or use the selector to
choose from a variety of standard shapes (sphere,
cylinder, and so on). The function may contain x, y,
and z variables with the rest being numbers or
expressions. If using the selector to obtain a
function for a standard shape, you should replace
constants a, b, c, r, and R with numbers. The
surface defined when the function is set to zero
will be used as the target surface for the mapping.
Use the prev and next buttons to create additional
pages for your function if there is not enough space
in the first page.
apply shape
Choose an existing shape that defines the node
perturbations that you wish to apply.
affected
elements
When you perform any
freehand morph with some fixed nodes defined, use this collector
to select affected elements. The affected elements will morph to accommodate the
movements of the moving nodes and the bounds imposed by the fixed nodes. The
scope of their deformation is influenced by the edge bounding method chosen, the
mv bias, and the fx bias. If you are using the morph all nodes, krig all nodes,
or morph within envelope options, you do not need to select affected
elements.
at origin / at system
/ at node
When using move to
equation, tchoose the start point for the function.
at origin
Starts the function at the default global coordinate
system's origin (0,0,0).
at node
Select a node to serve as the starting point.
at system
Select a local coordinate system. Its origin serves
as the starting point.
calculate using: all
elements / elems
When using move
normal, choose to use either all elements when calculating the
normal direction or to use only the elements you select.
When using move
normal, choose how the normal direction is determined.
averaged normals
Define the normal direction for each node as the average of only the
elements touching the node.
smoothed normals
Calculate the average normal direction for all elements and then smooth
them so that transitions near corners are not abrupt.
cfd corners
Use a sophisticated algorithm to smooth the normals for all the elements
such that the elements will not get folded when their nodes are morphed.
Figure 3 shows how the mesh is projected to a curved surface using each
available option. For cases where your mesh contains sharp corners, the cfd corners
option will produce the smoothest projections. However, it can be time consuming,
and for meshes without such sharp corners the smoothed normals option will work
quickly while giving good results. For a gently flowing mesh, the averaged normals
option can also give a smooth final mesh. Figure 3. Example: Calculate Using Methods
deg
When you rotate,
specify the desired number of degrees to rotate the moving nodes
into this numeric box.
dist=
When you select fix at
distance, specify the distance between the edge of the envelope
and the moving nodes. Only nodes within the envelope will get
morphed.
dist /
X/Y/Z/syst
When you translate or
move normal, choose to define either the distance to translate
(in model units) with the direction defined by the along plane
& vector selector, or to specify the distance and direction
via X, Y, and Z components (and optionally, a local coordinate
system for the components.
extend edges
Extend the edges of
the surfaces or mesh in a direction perpendicular to the normal
at the closest point on the surfaces or mesh. If this checkbox
is selected, the moving nodes will be projected on to an
extended representation of the surfaces or mesh, enabling you to
project nodes beyond the edge of the surfaces or mesh as well as
within any holes. If this checkbox is not selected, the moving
nodes will be projected on to the interior or edges of the
surfaces or mesh, which may end up distorting the morphed mesh.
In Figure 4, three surfaces are floating
above an angled mesh. All of the nodes of the mesh are
selected as moving nodes and they are projected to the
surfaces in the normal to geom direction. With extend edges
selected, the moving nodes are moved either to the surfaces
or to virtual surfaces which extend perpendicular to the
normal direction at the edge of the surface. Note how the
nodes end up placed inside the hole in the center of the
largest surface. Without extend edges selected, the moving
nodes are moved to the nearest point of the surfaces. Note
how several layers of moving nodes end up compressed at the
edge of the surfaces and around the edge of the hole. Figure 4.
Note: Available when using move to surf or move to
mesh.
Manually select which nodes will remain fixed during morphing. Nodes
which are not selected as moving nodes or fixed nodes will be morphed
based on how far they are between the nearest moving node and the
nearest fixed node. The morphing applied to those unselected nodes will
be based on the magnitude of the perturbation of the nearest moving
nodes and reduced based on how close they are to the nearest fixed
node.
Fix unselected
Automatically fix all of the nodes which aren't selected as moving
nodes.
Note: This might result in sharp transitions
between the moving nodes and the surrounding mesh.
Fix at distance
Specify a distance to fix nodes. HyperMorph
will automatically fix all nodes which lie at or outside that distance
from the moving nodes. You are also able to select nodes within that
distance to be fixed during the morphing.
Once the nodes outside the given distance are automatically fixed, this
option will work identically to the fix nodes option, except when using
the morph within envelope approach. The morph within envelope approach
will create a virtual layer of fixed nodes at the specified distance
around all of the moving nodes. Unselected nodes between the moving
nodes and either this layer or the nearest fixed node (if selected) will
be morphed proportionally based on the distances between the unselected
nodes and the bounding entities. The difference between morphing within
an envelope and morphing between moving and fixed nodes becomes clear
when there are no fixed nodes near the moving nodes. In such a case,
morphing within an envelope will always reduce the perturbations applied
to the unselected nodes based on how far they are away from moving
nodes, while the other methods will apply perturbations (and sometimes
large ones) to all nodes which are not close to fixed nodes.
Fix at multiple
Specify a multiplier. HyperMorph will
automatically fix all nodes which lie at or outside a distance
calculated by multiplying the perturbation of the nearest moving node by
the given multiplier. You are also able to select nodes within that
distance to be fixed during the morphing.
Once the nodes outside the calculated distance are automatically fixed,
this option will work identically to the fix nodes option, except when
using the morph within envelope approach. The morph within envelope
approach will create a virtual layer of fixed nodes at the calculated
distance around all of the moving nodes. Unselected nodes between the
moving nodes and either this layer or the nearest fixed node (if
selected) will be morphed proportionally based on the distances between
the unselected nodes and the bounding entities. The difference between
morphing within an envelope and morphing between moving and fixed nodes
becomes clear when there are no fixed nodes near the moving nodes. In
such a case, morphing within an envelope will always reduce the
perturbations applied to the unselected nodes based on how far they are
away from moving nodes, while the other methods will apply perturbations
(and sometimes large ones) to all nodes which are not close to fixed
nodes.
In Figure 5, note the differences in the morphing due
to the option selected for fixing nodes. When using the fix nodes option
(with krig all nodes selected in the case shown), nodes far from the
fixed nodes are morphed in a manner nearly identical to the nearest
moving node. When using the fix unselected option, only the moving nodes
are morphed. When using the fix at distance option (with morph within
envelope selected), the morphing is spread linearly through the envelope
based on how far away each morphed node is from the nearest moving node.
When using the fix at multiple option (with morph within envelope
selected), the morphing envelope is greater where the moving nodes move
the farthest and thus those moving nodes have a larger affect on the
mesh. Figure 5. Example: Fix at Multiple
fx bias
This numeric box displays when you morph nodes with
selected fixed nodes. It affects the behavior of the nodes to be morphed. Higher
values keep morphed nodes closer to the fixed nodes, reducing local
distortion.
interactive:
on/off
Drag handles across
the screen using the mouse after clicking morph. Morphing occurs
in real time, rather than in a single "jump" based on input
distances or angles upon clicking the button.
Note: When morphing by a manipulator all morphing is done
interactively.
moving nodes:
Pick the nodes that
will move.
When using apply shape, this collector is replaced
by a shape collector to allow you to pick an existing
shape.
mult
When morphing by apply
shape, apply a multiplier to the effect of the shape. The
default value of 1 uses the shape at its default size/strength,
while higher numbers increase its effect on nodes and decimal
values between zero and one decrease its effect.
mult=
When you select fix at
multiple, specify the distance between the edge of the envelope
and the moving nodes. Only nodes within the envelope will get
morphed.
mv bias
Affects the behavior of morphed nodes. Higher values result in
morphed nodes following the moving nodes more closely, reducing local
distortion.
Note: Available when you morph nodes with selected fixed
nodes.
node a, node b
The target is defined
as the vector from node a to node b.
Note: Available when the
movement type is set to move to vector.
offset=
When moving nodes to a
vector, node list, line, plane, surface, or mesh you have the
option of setting how far the nodes will be offset from the
target. Although the nodes will be moved in the specified
projection direction, the offset will be the absolute distance,
in model units, the nodes will end up from the target regardless
of the direction in which they were moved.
A positive value
for the offset will place the nodes short of the target, a
negative value for the offset will place the nodes beyond
the target, and an offset of zero will place the nodes on
the target.
offset in all dir. /
offset along proj.
When moving nodes to a
vector, node list, line, plane, surface, or mesh while using a
non-zero offset, choose an offset method.
offset in all dir
Measure the offset from each node to the closest point on the
target.
offset along proj
Measure the offset from each node to the target along the direction of
projection.
In Figure 6,
three nodes are being offset from a plane along a vector which is at a forty-five
degree angle to the plane normal. When offset in all dir is selected, the offset is
measured from each node to the closest point on the target plane, in this case along
the plane normal. When offset in proj is selected, the offset is measured from each
node to the plane along the projection vector. Notice that when using the offset in
proj option, the nodes can end up closer to the nearest point on the target than the
value of the offset. Figure 6. Example: Offset in All Dir. and Offset in Proj.
optional fixed
nodes
Add any fixed nodes
inside the envelope to be used for morphing. The morphing of any
nodes near these fixed nodes will be reduced.
options
Opens the Morph
Options panel.
rotate about
Use the standard plane
& vector selector to define an axis around which to rotate
the moving nodes.
Record Subpanel
Use the Record subpanel to record the movement of nodes applied in other panels and
save those movements as a morph that can be undone, redone, and saved as a
shape.
You can then go outside of the Freehand panel and use any tool in HyperMesh to move the nodes in the model to new positions. When you
return to this panel and click finish, those node movements
will be transformed into a morph which can be undone, redone, or saved as a
shape.
This feature can be particularly useful when using the Quality Index panel to adjust
a basic morph for the sake of mesh quality. For example, after morphing, go to the
Record subpanel and click start, go to the Quality Index
panel to adjust and fix any poorly-formed elements resulting from the morph, and
then return to the Record panel and click finish.
In Figure 7,
sculpting resulted in poorly-shaped elements (highlighted in the left image).
Adjustments made in the Quality Index panel resolved the problems on the left side
of the mesh to produce the image on the right. By recording the node movements in
the Quality Index panel those node movements can be saved as part of a shape and can
be undone. Figure 7.
Option
Action
edge bounding
Partitioned
Partition all of the affected elements according to the values set in
the Domain panel, Partitioning subpanel before applying morphing.
Inferred Edges
Create local domains for the affected elements for the purpose of
applying the morphing.
Create edge domains along the boundaries of the affected elements which
will regulate morphing.
Free Edges
Create a general domain for the affected elements for the purpose of
applying the morphing. The movement of nodes along the boundaries of the
affected elements is unregulated.
Domain Edges
If you have already created domains, those domains will be used to
determine the way the morphing is applied to the model.
Morph All Nodes
Using a proximity based algorithm, potentially morph every node in the
model relative to the distances between the nearest moving node and the
nearest fixed node.
Krig All Nodes
Using the kriging algorithm, potentially morph every node in the model
except for the fixed nodes. The options used for kriging can be modified
in the Morph Options panel, Domain Solvers subpanel which can be
accessed by clicking options.
Note: A
practical upper limit on the number of moving nodes you can have is
3000. Computers with above average memory and CPU available may be
able to support larger number of moving nodes
comfortably.
Morph Within Envelope
Using a proximity based algorithm, potentially morph every node in the
model relative to the distances between the nearest moving node and to
either the edge of the envelope or the nearest fixed node (if selected).
The envelope can either be defined as a discrete distance using the fix
at distance option, or as a multiple of the magnitude of the
perturbation applied to the nearest moving node using the fix at
multiple option. If the fix nodes option is selected, this method will
act identically to Morph All Nodes.
For options Morph All Nodes, Krig All Nodes, and Morph
Within Envelope, the influence of the moving nodes extends beyond the mesh to which
they are attached, thus you will need to fix or exclude any nodes that you do not
want to have morphed. If you wish to exclude the nodes which are not displayed, set
the selector below the fixed nodes selector to exclude undisplayed. Excluded nodes
will neither be morphed nor will they affect the morphing. If you wish the nodes
which are not displayed to act like fixed nodes, set the selector below the fixed
nodes selector to fix undisplayed. Fixed nodes will influence the morphing by
reducing the amount of morphing of any nearby nodes. If the selector is set to morph
undisplayed, HyperMorph will morph any undisplayed nodes
which are not fixed.
Figure 1
shows how the different methods affect the mesh morphing using the move nodes tool.
For the partitioned option, the inner edge closest to the moved nodes is unaffected
since an edge domain is internally created for it. For the inferred edges option, no
inner edges were created and thus the inner edge ends up curved as its nodes follow
the moving nodes. For the free edges option, no outer edges were created either and
thus the outer edges end up curved as well as the inner ones. For the morph all
nodes and krig all nodes options, note the differences in the methods, especially
the smoothness of the kriging algorithm. For the morph within envelope option, note
how the mesh inside the envelope is linearly perturbed relative to the distance from
the moving node and that no fixed nodes are required. Figure 8. Example: Edge Bounding
Note: Available when you apply and morph the moved nodes.
affected
elements
The affected elements will morph to accommodate the
movements of the moving nodes and the bounds imposed by the fixed nodes. The
scope of their deformation is influenced by the edge bounding method chosen, the
mv bias, and the fx bias. If you are using the morph all nodes, krig all nodes,
or morph within envelope options, you do not need to select affected
elements.
fixed nodes / fix
unselected / fix at distance / fix at multiple
Fix nodes
Manually select which nodes will remain fixed during morphing. Nodes
which are not selected as moving nodes or fixed nodes will be morphed
based on how far they are between the nearest moving node and the
nearest fixed node. The morphing applied to those unselected nodes will
be based on the magnitude of the perturbation of the nearest moving
nodes and reduced based on how close they are to the nearest fixed
node.
Fix unselected
Automatically fix all of the nodes which aren't selected as moving
nodes.
Note: This might result in sharp transitions
between the moving nodes and the surrounding mesh.
Fix at distance
Specify a distance to fix nodes. HyperMorph
will automatically fix all nodes which lie at or outside that distance
from the moving nodes. You are also able to select nodes within that
distance to be fixed during the morphing.
Once the nodes outside the given distance are automatically fixed, this
option will work identically to the fix nodes option, except when using
the morph within envelope approach. The morph within envelope approach
will create a virtual layer of fixed nodes at the specified distance
around all of the moving nodes. Unselected nodes between the moving
nodes and either this layer or the nearest fixed node (if selected) will
be morphed proportionally based on the distances between the unselected
nodes and the bounding entities. The difference between morphing within
an envelope and morphing between moving and fixed nodes becomes clear
when there are no fixed nodes near the moving nodes. In such a case,
morphing within an envelope will always reduce the perturbations applied
to the unselected nodes based on how far they are away from moving
nodes, while the other methods will apply perturbations (and sometimes
large ones) to all nodes which are not close to fixed nodes.
Fix at multiple
Specify a multiplier. HyperMorph will
automatically fix all nodes which lie at or outside a distance
calculated by multiplying the perturbation of the nearest moving node by
the given multiplier. You are also able to select nodes within that
distance to be fixed during the morphing.
Once the nodes outside the calculated distance are automatically fixed,
this option will work identically to the fix nodes option, except when
using the morph within envelope approach. The morph within envelope
approach will create a virtual layer of fixed nodes at the calculated
distance around all of the moving nodes. Unselected nodes between the
moving nodes and either this layer or the nearest fixed node (if
selected) will be morphed proportionally based on the distances between
the unselected nodes and the bounding entities. The difference between
morphing within an envelope and morphing between moving and fixed nodes
becomes clear when there are no fixed nodes near the moving nodes. In
such a case, morphing within an envelope will always reduce the
perturbations applied to the unselected nodes based on how far they are
away from moving nodes, while the other methods will apply perturbations
(and sometimes large ones) to all nodes which are not close to fixed
nodes.
In Figure 5, note the differences in the morphing due
to the option selected for fixing nodes. When using the fix nodes option
(with krig all nodes selected in the case shown), nodes far from the
fixed nodes are morphed in a manner nearly identical to the nearest
moving node. When using the fix unselected option, only the moving nodes
are morphed. When using the fix at distance option (with morph within
envelope selected), the morphing is spread linearly through the envelope
based on how far away each morphed node is from the nearest moving node.
When using the fix at multiple option (with morph within envelope
selected), the morphing envelope is greater where the moving nodes move
the farthest and thus those moving nodes have a larger affect on the
mesh. Figure 9. Example: Fix at Multiple
fx bias
This numeric box displays when you morph nodes with
selected fixed nodes. It affects the behavior of the nodes to be morphed. Higher
values keep morphed nodes closer to the fixed nodes, reducing local
distortion.
moved nodes: apply /
apply and morph
In Figure 10, the record feature is used to record a single
node on the right side of the mesh being moved using the
Distance panel. The middle image uses apply; the right image
uses apply and morph with the corner nodes selected as fixed,
and all elements selected as affected elements, so the whole
mesh stretches. Figure 10.
mv bias
Affects the behavior
of follower nodes.
Higher values result in stretched or
"follower" nodes following the moving nodes more
closely.
Note: Available when you morph nodes with
selected fixed nodes and affected elements.
options
Opens the Morph
Options panel.
Sculpting Subpanel
Use the Sculpting subpanel to mold a mesh with a variety of virtual tools, such as
creating hemispherical divots, cone-shaped projections, or molding sections with
feature lines.
Areas of the mesh can be pushed or pulled to reshape it, creating either indentations
or projections on the mesh.
Tool shapes include ball, cone, cylinder, node list, line, plane, surface, and mesh.
Use different tools to simplify the creation of different types of deformation. For
example, use the ball along a node list or line list to create a curved channel with
a rounded bottom and ends, but use the cone to create a channel with a V-shaped
bottom. Similarly, the ball can create a hemispherical divot or protrusion, while
the cone can create a conical pit or spike. The following images illustrate use of
the "ball" tool to create a raised ridge along a node list. Figure 11. Two Nodes Selected, Tool not Applied Figure 12. Ball Tool Applied to the Mesh. The ball tool has been applied to the mesh as if it had been rolled from
one node to the other.
Option
Action
affected
elements
Select the elements
you wish to be subject to the sculpting. In this way, you can
preserve parts of the mesh during sculpting (by simply not
picking them).
angle =
When sculpting with
the cone tool, specify the angle of the cone's taper.
base
The base node serves
as a "handle" for the tool. The base node is moved along the
path and the tool moves relative to the base
node.
Note: Available for node list, line, surfaace, or
mesh.
mesh
compression
full mesh compression
Do not preserve the spacing between the nodes for
any affected element. Elements may end up getting
squashed flat.
Recommended for shell meshes which are being
sculpted relatively normal to their surface so that
the full mesh compression effectively "irons out"
any wrinkles in the surface of the mesh.
compress by factor
Set a value between 0 and 1. The relative amount of
compression (or expansion) which can be applied to
the affected elements before the sculpting is
"passed on" to neighboring elements.
Higher values mean more mesh compression. Lower
values will better preserve the elements' original
shape.
compress by distance
Set a value for the distance around the tool where
mesh compression (or expansion) is performed. If
elements are compressed by the tool, the compression
will be spread out away from the tool but only
through the specified distance. In other words, if
you set a value of 30 for the compression distance,
all the mesh compression will occur within 30 units
away from the tool.
Note: Compress by
factor and compress by distance work in the same
way, uniformly compressing the mesh, but they
differ in what they allow you to control. Compress
by factor allows you to control the amount of
compression per element while compress by distance
allows you to control the area within which
compression takes place.
fea linear or fea non-linear
Choose either auto props or user props. Select user
props if you have added properties and materials to
your model appropriate for the type of analysis to
be performed ( OptiStruct or Radioss) and want
to use those instead, otherwise select auto props.
Then select the fixed nodes for the sculpting.
HyperMorph will
perform an FEA solution using either OptiStruct or Radioss to determine the
deformation of the affected elements using the nodes
affected by the tool and the fixed nodes as enforced
displacements.
Note: Non-linear
analysis, while more time consuming, is more
appropriate for extreme mesh compression
conditions and generally results in better element
quality compared to linear analysis.
Figure 13.
move direction
Define the direction
that nodes are moved when sculpted. The two options are to use a
standard plane and vector selector to define a vector, or to
sculpt in the mesh element's normal direction.
offset =
Specify the offset to
determine how far the tool will be offset from the path in the
move direction.
options
Opens the Morph
Options panel.
radius =
When sculpting with
the ball or cylinder tool, specify the size of the tool.
sculpting tool
Choose the basic shape
that will be used for sculpting.
When
sculpting with a cylinder or plane, a new (unlabeled) plane
and vector selector displays under the tool label. Use this
(including a base node) to define the cylinder's axis, or
the plane tool itself.
Figure 14. Ball. The ball tool has been applied to a node list. Figure 15. Cone. The cone tool has been applied to a node list with an
offset. The tip of the cone is moved along the node
list, which, if the node list was selected along the
mesh to be sculpted, will not result in any morphing.
Use an offset to push the cone past the surface of the
mesh as shown in the example. Figure 16. Cylinder. A cube has been sculpted with a cylinder tool at a
single point. Notice the mesh compression extending into
the body of the mesh Figure 17. Node List. A cube has been sculpting with a node list (gray
circles) along a path (white circles). Figure 18. Line. A line tool is used to sculpt a mesh. Notice how the
base point (purple circle) is used to locate the line
relative to the path (white circles). Figure 19. Plane. A plane tool is used to sculpt a solid cube. A single
node is used for the path and mesh compression of 0.5 is
selected. Notice that the sculpt direction is different
from the plane normal. Figure 20. Surface. A surface is used to sculpt a mesh. A single node is
used for the path (which ends up getting morphed due to
the mesh compression). Notice the effect of the taper
angle (45 degrees) on either side of the tool and how it
prevents large mesh distortions at the tool edge. Figure 21. Mesh. A mesh tool is used to sculpt another mesh. Since the
path lies on the target mesh and the base node is at the
leading face of the tool, an offset was used to create
the sculpting.
taper angle =
When sculpting with a
node list, line, surface, or mesh tool, specify a taper angle
for the tool to alter the taper of the resulting deformation.
The taper of the tool is like a shroud around the tool
extending opposite of the sculpt direction, at the given
angle. For instance, the taper for a point is a cone. The
taper helps to smooth transitions between sculpted and
non-sculpted regions.
tool path
Choose the path along
which the tool will be moved; the center of the tool follows the
path.
through nodes
Sculpt along a user-specified node list.
along line
Sculpt along an existing line of the model
geometry.
interactive
Perform freehand sculpting, using the mouse to
determine the path. This option reveals a button
that opens a new interactive sculpting
subpanel.
Save Shape Subpanel
Use the Save Shape subpanel to save a current morph as a shape.
Option
Action
as handle
perturbations / as node perturbations
Shapes saved as handle
perturbations take up less space and can change if the domains and handles for
the model are changed. If you edit the domains and handles in a model that has
saved shapes or morphs on the undo/redo list, you will be given the option to
preserve those shapes as node perturbations. If you click
yes, the shapes will retain their original form. If
you click no, the shapes will be unchanged internally,
but may be appear different due to changes in the influences of the perturbed
handles.
color
Select a color for the
current shape.
name =
Specify a name for a
new shape, or click the button twice to select an existing
shape.
Command Buttons
Button
Action
finish
Stop morphing macro
recording.
morph
Perform the morphing
(move nodes).
move +
Sculpt in the positive
direction relative to the move direction input. Figure 22.
move -
Sculpt in the negative
direction relative to the move direction input.
