Creating Smooth Virtual Parts

A smooth virtual part is a body connecting a specified point, the handle point, to specified part geometries, behaving as an object that will transmit actions (masses, restraints, and loads) applied at the handle point, without stiffening the deformable body or bodies to which it is attached.

The smooth virtual part allows elastic deformation of the regions to which it is attached.

Smooth virtual parts can be applied to the following types of supports:

Point or VertexCurve or EdgeSurface or FaceVolume or Part
  

This task shows you how to create a smooth virtual part between a point and a geometry support.

  1. Click the Smooth Virtual Part icon .

    The Smooth Virtual Part dialog box appears, and a Smooth Virtual Part object appears in the specification tree under the Properties objects set.

  2. You can change the identifier of the virtual part by editing the Name field.

  3. Select a face or an edge of the part as a geometry support. You can select several geometry supports.

    The Supports field is updated to reflect your selection.

  4. Position the cursor on the Handler field in the Smooth Virtual Part dialog box and select a vertex or point as the handle point (the handle point symbol appears as your cursor passes over it).

    • This point selected as handle must be a Part Design point.

    • If you do not specifically select a point, the centroid (the point at which the lines meet) will be used as the handle point.

    • When several virtual parts share the same handle point, only one finite element node is generated.

  5. Click OK in the Smooth Virtual Part dialog box.

    A symbol representing the virtual part appears on the corresponding faces.