Projecting nodes

You can project one or more selected nodes from a meshed part, a meshed part instance in the assembly, or an orphan mesh to a selected vertex, edge, face, node, element edge, element face, datum point, datum axis, or datum plane. This is particularly useful if you want to move nodes in a bottom-up mesh onto nearby geometry. In general, you cannot use the Edit Mesh toolset to modify the mesh of a dependent part instance; however, you can project the nodes of a dependent part instance. Abaqus/CAE projects the nodes of the original mesh, and your modifications appear on all dependent instances of the part.

Related Topics
What can I do with the Edit Mesh toolset?

Context:

Projecting nodes does not change their association. Nodes that are associated with a geometric feature prior to projection will remain associated with that feature; unassociated nodes will remain unassociated after you project them onto geometry.

  1. Enter the Mesh module, and do one of the following:

    • From the Object field in the context bar, select Assembly.

    • From the Object field in the context bar, select Part, and select a part from the list.

  2. From the main menu bar, select MeshEdit.

    Abaqus/CAE displays the Edit Mesh dialog box.

    Tip: You can also display the Edit Mesh dialog box using the tool, located at the bottom of the Mesh module toolbox.

  3. In the dialog box, do the following:

    1. In the Category field, select Node.
    2. From the Method list, select Project.

      Abaqus/CAE displays the existing nodes. In hidden and shaded mode, only the visible nodes are displayed.

  4. From the prompt area, choose the selection method and select the nodes to project. For more information, see Selecting the nodes to edit.

    Tip: You can use the Selection toolbar to change the picking behavior. For more information, see Selecting objects within the viewport.”

  5. Select a vertex, edge, face, node, element edge, element face, datum point, datum axis, or datum plane to which Abaqus/CAE will move the selected nodes.

    Abaqus/CAE colors the selected entity magenta.

  6. Select Yes in the prompt area to confirm your selections.

    Abaqus/CAE projects the selected nodes to their new positions using a shortest distance algorithm. If you selected an edge, face, element edge, or element face, Abaqus/CAE projects the nodes onto the axis or plane that would be created by extending the selected edge or face.

    Tip: If you make a mistake while editing nodes, click Undo in the Edit Mesh dialog box to undo the edit. Abaqus/CAE restores the nodes to their original positions.

    If you select No, your node and entity selections are cancelled and the procedure continues from Step 4.

  7. Repeat the previous steps as often as necessary to project additional nodes.