Defining Connectors

You can apply a connector to join two supports using either a simple connection or a predefined combination of simple connections.

You can define a connector between two supports or between one support and ground.

Before you begin: Ensure you defined an axis system in the Simulation Model Preparation app if you plan to select a custom axis system to orient the connector at either endpoint. For more information, see the Simulation Model Preparation Guide.
See Also
About Connectors
Connections Section
Connection Manager
About Engineering Connections in Simulations
Grouping Mesh Entities
In Other Guides
Support Selection
  1. From the Connections section of the action bar, click Connector .
  2. Optional: Enter a descriptive Name.
  3. Choose an engineering connection method and connection.
    OptionDescription
    Default Automatically creates a free engineering connection or selects an existing engineering connection if only one exists.
    Select existing Select an existing engineering connection from a list.

    Note: If you select an existing connection, your support selections are limited to the part instances used when the engineering connection was created.

  4. Select the supports.

    The following supports are valid:

    • Support 1: one or more faces or edges, a coupling, or a single point; or mesh groups containing faces, edges, or a node.
    • Support 2: one or more faces or edges, a coupling, or a single point; or mesh groups containing faces, edges, or a node.

      To define a connector to ground, omit the second support.

    Important: If one of the supports is a coupling, the other support must also be a coupling. Both couplings must be from the same finite element model or from two child finite element models.

    Tip: You can right-click a support field and select Create Support to create a new point or to create a proximity, spatial, or manual mesh group containing the support objects.

    You can use the context menu in the Connection Manager to reuse supports from an existing connection. However, you can only reuse supports if they meet the requirements of the current connection type.

  5. Optional: To load connector properties from a saved template file:
    1. Click .
      The Object Selection dialog box appears.
    2. Select one of the following options:

      • Search and select a template document from all the documents stored in the database.
      • Click Import a file to import a document stored on your computer, and click the check mark in the object selection prompt after the document has been imported.

    The parameters are applied to the current connector definition.
  6. Optional: Click to save the parameters of the current connector to a reusable template document, and specify a name for the document. For more information, see Template Files.
  7. From the Type options, select one of the predefined connectors or select Specify to define the translational and rotational behaviors separately. For descriptions of the available predefined and simple connectors, see Predefined Connectors and Simple Connectors.
  8. Choose the Axis system definition type for the first endpoint.
    OptionDescription
    Global Aligns the connector endpoint with the global coordinate system.
    Local Aligns the connector endpoint with a user-defined axis system that you select.
  9. If you specified the Local option, select the appropriate axis system from the model.
  10. Optional: To specify a different axis system for the second endpoint, clear the Set second axis system same as first axis system check box, and define the second axis system similarly.
  11. Specify the Coupling type:
    OptionDescription
    Kinematic Directly couples edge or face supports to the motion of a reference point.
    Continuum distributing Couples the displacement and rotation of the fastening points to the average displacement of the nodes.
    Structural distributing Couples the displacement and rotation of the fastening points to the average displacement and rotation of the nodes.
  12. Click to define additional connector behaviors. For more information, see the following.

  13. Optional: Click Update Mesh to see the mesh created for the connector.
  14. Click OK.
    A line between the selected supports represents the connector, with a label indicating the connection type.