Moving meshed parts

[Stefan2653]

I would like to build a FEM with some parts automeshed from Inventor models, and some parts manually created/meshed in Autodesk Simulation. I can combine multiple automeshed parts in one model, but when I move those parts to align them properly with the manually created parts, I either get a garbage mesh in the postprocessor, or if I re-mesh the moved part it moves the part back to its original position.

Is there a way to remove the associativity of the solid model from the resulting meshed part so that the meshed part can then be placed anywhere I want in the FEM?

Thanks.

Stefan

[John_Holtz]

Hi Stefan,

If moving the CAD parts is not working, why not move the hand-built parts? Or stated another way, why not build the hand-built parts in the proper location after importing the assembly model from your CAD?

The mesh in the post-processor may or may not be garbage. The next time you try, right-click in the canvas while nothing is selected, and choose "Show All Elements". I have seen the Results Environment remember how many elements the model had "the last time" and only show those elements. So if the number of elements changes, and therefore the original elements 1 through N are in a different location, the image can appear to be garbage.

[Stefan2653]

I could move the hand-built parts, but it gets complicated in our application. To describe the model in a simplistic way, we have numerous panels of a "box" meshed from Inventor and combined in Autodesk Simulation using some hand-meshed parts and simplified fastener simluators (rigid beams). We would like to manually arrange the panels in the FEM so the fasteners and other parts fit properly. This could be done in Inventor, but it is very difficult to get everything located properly without seeing all the manually-built FEM parts in the Inventor model.

I tried to show all parts/elements in the results window, but the mesh is still partially formed (see enclosure).

Note: In older versions of the software (Algor), once you auto-meshed and post-processed a part, it was possible to dis-associate the part from the CAD geometry and move it around in the FEA editor, like I am trying to do here.

Thanks.

Stefan