Translate and Rotate Entities

Use the Move tool to translate and rotate selected entities.

Certain types of entities, like parts and assemblies, cannot be moved with the Move tool. Entities like pressures cannot be moved because their position and orientation are determined by the entity to which they are applied.
  1. From the Home tools, click the Move tool.


    Figure 1.
    The Move tool will initially be positioned at the centroid of selected entities.
  2. Optional: Click on the guide bar to define movement options.
  3. Select an entity type from the guide bar drop-down menu.
  4. Select entities to move.
  5. Click-and-drag graphical manipulators to move or rotate entities in the selected direction(s), or enter a precise value in the microdialog.
    • Translate along an axis by dragging arrows.
    • Translate within a plane by dragging squares.
    • Rotate around the center of the tool by dragging curved arrows.
    • Move objects freely by dragging the center of the Move tool.
    • Rotate objects freely by dragging from any arrow tip. The unresolved rotation is prompted on release.
    • Specify a precise magnitude to translate or rotate by clicking a graphic manipulator and modifying the value(s) in the microdialog that opens. Press Enter to execute the move.


Figure 2.
Tip:
  • Use snap points to align entities by clicking-and-dragging a snap point on one entity to the snap point on a second entity.
  • Click the center of the Move tool to bring up the menu.
    • Click to align the Move tool with the global axis.
    • Click to align the Move tool along an edge or face. If the Move tool is being repositioned (highlighted orange), clicking this button will force the Move tool to be aligned automatically as you drag it around the model.
  • Reposition the Move tool by holding Shift and dragging a graphic manipulator. You can also double-click a graphic manipulator to enter editing mode. The Move tool is highlighted orange when being repositioned.
    • Change the center of rotation by dragging the tool's center or graphic manipulators.
    • Rotate and align the Move tool with an entity by clicking-and-dragging a snap point at the end of an arrow. The appropriate rotation manipulator will become active, enabling you to resolve the remaining degree of freedom.
  • On the guide bar, click to open the Advanced Selection dialog, from which you can filter geometry further by selecting a subset of entities based on additional selection methods, such as By Component or By Assembly.

Transform Elements

Translate, scale, reflect or rotate elements with multiple numbers of copies, including properties and loads, attached to them.

Loads will also be copied to the new transformed elements with the possibility to reverse them. ID's can also be assigned with offset for the newly created elements. Multiple instances (number of copies) can also be created.
  1. From the Home tools, click the Transformation Tool.


    Figure 3.
    The Transformation Tool dialog opens.
  2. In the Action field, select an action to perform on elements.
  3. In the Entities field, select source elements, nodes, components, or systems.
  4. To create multiple instances, select the Duplicate checkbox.
  5. In the Destination Component field, select where to organize elements after the transformation.
  6. Define additional options accordingly.
  7. Click Apply.


Figure 4. Element to be Transformed with Loads


Figure 5. Reflected Wing with Loads in a New Load Collector

Move Options

Move mesh in real time
Show updated mesh connectivity in real time while moving nodes and elements, or show it only when releasing the mouse after each move. Turn off to improve performance on larger models.

Keyboard Shortcuts & Mouse Controls

To do this Press
Reposition the Move tool Shift + Left Mouse Drag or Double Click
Temporarily disable snapping Alt