Create Shapes

Create and apply morphing shapes. Shapes can be created by morphing or by converting load collectors.

Before you create a shape, morph the model using one of the Morph tools.
  1. From the Morph ribbon, click the Shapes tool.


    Figure 1.
    The Edit Shapes dialog opens.
  2. Click in the top, left of the dialog to save the morph as a shape.
  3. Toggle the Preview option to view the initial state of the model vs the morphed state of the model.
  4. Optional: Activate the Design Variable option and define a lower bound, initial value, and upper bound to use the shape in subsequent design optimization studies.
    Tip: Click the Design Variables tool to view a list of all the design variables in your model.


    Figure 2.
  5. With the preview applied, right-click on the shape and select Apply Preview to save the morph.
    The morph is compounded each additional time you view and apply the preview.
Tip:
  • Toggle to show/hide the vectors that define the shape.
  • Activate the Preview option of two or more shapes and click to combine the morphs into a new shape.
  • To quickly create shapes without disrupting the morphing workflow, click the Create Shapes satellite icon.


Create Shapes from Loads

Create a new shape for each selected load collector with the force vectors at each node of each load collector converted into XYZ perturbations at each node for each shape.

The original load collector will be preserved.

  1. From the Morph ribbon, click the Shapes tool.


    Figure 3.
    The Edit Shapes dialog opens.
  2. Right-click in the Edit Shapes dialog and select Create from Loads from the context menu.
  3. Select the Load Collectors (forces, temperatures, pressures, enforced displacements) to convert into shapes.
  4. Click Create.