Grouping Complex Surfaces for Pressure Loading

[bryan_mcnatt]

Is there any way to create a grouping of part surfaces that are not contiguous in the model tree?  I have a complex part with lots of complex surfaces.  There are "inner" surfaces and "outer" surfaces".  I need to apply a static pressure load to the "inner" surfaces only.  The part geometry is such that it does not lend itself to ease of selection using any of Algor's selection tools other than Point Select.  With that tool, I have to Ctrl+Click each individual surface before applying the pressure load.  That's not really the main problem I'm since I'd likely have to do a Ctrl+Click selections once before creating the "group" of surfaces.  However, what happens is I either make a mistake or need to change the loading or surface selection.  It would be nice if I could create some kind of grouping of the selected surfaces that could be added to or subtracted from as needed.  Sort of a folder beneath the Surfaces section of the model tree.

[Sualp.Ozel · Accepted solution]

Here is my recommendation:

lets say you have 1 part model with 10 surfaces

for Design scenario 2, you want to analyze an internal pressure load on 5 inner surfaces

for Design scenario 3, you want to analyze an internal pressure load on 5 inner surfaces + 1 other surface (lets call this surface 6)

I would do the following:

Use design scenario 1 as your reference Design scenario, after meshing the geometry  copy this design scenario once which will give you DS2 .

In DS2, Select the inner surfaces using "CTR", right click, "Select sub entities", "Lines", right click "Modify attributes" change the surface number to a number which does not interfere with existing surface numbers (such as Surface 100) now you have a new Booleaned surface which you can apply a boundary condition to

copy this design scenario once which will give you DS3. 

In DS3, select surface 100 and press "CTR" to add surface 6 to your selection, right click, "Select sub entities", "Lines", right click "Modify attributes" change the surface number to 100 again and hit enter. This will combine surface 100 + 6 in surface 100. And the forces you had applied to surface 100 should be automatically extended to the new Surface 100.

In conclusion; adding surfaces to a group is easy, but subtracting will be trick because you will have to subtract individual lines from a Booleaned surface.

[bryan_mcnatt]

Perfect.  Thanks!  That's exactly what I was looking for.  I'd still like Algor to include a way to "group" surfaces and then apply BCs to groups of surfaces.  You're right that subtracting surfaces (i.e. subtracting lines) will be trickier than adding them but not so much as to be a deal breaker I don't think.  I think subtraction will much much less a need than addition.  Thanks again!