Creating or modifying wire features for multiple connectors

In the Interaction module, select ConnectorGeometryCreate Wire Feature from the main menu bar to add one or more wire features. You can add disjoint wires, chained wires, or wires that are connected to ground. When you create the wire feature, you can create a geometry set that includes all of the wires in the wire feature to use during subsequent selection procedures; for example, when you select wires for the connector section assignment definition or to apply connector loads. For detailed instructions on creating assembly-level wires features, see Adding a point-to-point wire feature.

Related Topics
Adding a point-to-point wire feature
Connectors

Context:

You can modify assembly-level wire features by selecting ConnectorGeometryModify Wire Feature from the main menu bar. You select any wire from the feature that you want to modify and make changes in the Modify Wire Feature dialog box, as described in the procedure below. When you click OK in the dialog box, Abaqus/CAE does the following:

  • renames and suppresses the original wire feature;

  • creates a new wire feature using the same name as the original wire feature;

  • renames the geometry set that had contained the original wire feature, if it existed; and

  • if applicable, creates a new geometry set containing the modified wire feature.

For example, Figure 1 shows that Wire-1 is renamed OldWire-1-1 and suppressed. Similarly, Wire-1-Set–1 is renamed OldWire-1-Set–1.

Figure 1. Model Tree showing the Features and Sets containers for the original wire feature (left) and the modified wire feature (right).

By using the default geometry set name created for a wire feature when you select wires to define connector section assignments, connector loads, and connector boundary conditions, you ensure that these objects remain valid if you modify the wire feature. Otherwise, objects that reference any part of the original wire feature are invalidated if you modify the wire feature; for example, if you define a connector force and select wires from the viewport or use a geometry set with a different name.

You can remove wires from the wire feature by selecting ConnectorGeometryRemove Wires From Feature from the main menu bar. The operation to remove wire edges from the feature is stored as a feature of the part; therefore, you can use the Model Tree to delete or suppress the operation.

  1. From the main menu bar in the Interaction module, select ConnectorGeometryModify Wire Feature.

    Tip: You can also modify an assembly-level wire feature using the tool in the Interaction module toolbox.

  2. In the viewport, select any wire of the feature that you want to modify.

    The Modify Wire Feature dialog box appears and displays the point pairs that define the assembly-level wires in the original wire feature.

  3. In the Point Pairs portion of the dialog box, you can do the following:

    • To add more point pairs, specify the method, click , and select the points from the viewport. The representation of the added wire is highlighted in magenta.

    • To edit a point, select the point in the table, click , and reselect a point. The selection highlighting in the viewport is updated to show the newly edited point.

    • To identify a specific point pair in the viewport, select the desired row. The line connecting the selected point pair is highlighted in red.

    • To remove a point pair, select the desired row and click .

    • To exchange the entries for Point 1 and Point 2 in a point pair, select the desired row and click .

  4. In the Set Creation portion of the dialog box, toggle on Create set of wires if you want Abaqus/CAE to create a new geometry set of wires for the modified wire feature.

  5. Click OK to modify the wire feature.

    The original wire feature is renamed and suppressed. The modified assembly-level wire feature appears in the Model Tree in the Features container under the assembly using the same name as the original wire feature.