KCENTER

KCENTER, Type, VAL1, VAL2, VAL3, VAL4, KPNEW
Creates a keypoint at the center of a circular arc defined by three locations.

PREP7: Keypoints

Type

Type of entity used to define the circular arc. The meaning of VAL1 through VAL4 will vary depending on Type. If Type = P, graphical picking is enabled and all remaining command fields are ignored (valid only in the GUI).

KP	—	Arc is defined by keypoints.
LINE	—	Arc is defined by locations on a line.

VAL1, VAL2, VAL3, VAL4

Values used to specify three locations on the arc (see table below).

KPNEW

Number assigned to new keypoint. Defaults to the lowest available keypoint number.

Definitions:

If Type = KP, inputs VAL1 through VAL4 are defined as follows:

VAL1

—

First keypoint.

VAL2

—

Second keypoint.

VAL3

—

Third keypoint.

VAL4

—

Arc radius. If VAL4 = 0 or blank (default), the arc is defined by the three keypoints specified as VAL1, VAL2, and VAL3 and arc radius is not used. If VAL4 is nonzero, VAL1, VAL2, and VAL4 are used to calculate the center point, and VAL3 is used to locate the center point as follows:

`VAL4` > 0	—	Center point and `VAL3` are on the same side of the line between the first two keypoints.
`VAL4` < 0	—	Center point and `VAL3` are on opposite sides of the line between the first two keypoints.

If Type = LINE, inputs VAL1 through VAL4 are defined as follows:

*`VAL1`*	—	Line number.
*`VAL2`*	—	Line ratio (0 to 1) indicating the first location (defaults to 0).
*`VAL3`*	—	Line ratio (0 to 1) indicating the second location (defaults to 0.5).
*`VAL4`*	—	Line ratio (0 to 1) indicating the third location (defaults to 1).

Notes

KCENTER should be used in the Cartesian coordinate system (CSYS,0) only. This command provides three methods to define a keypoint at the center of three locations. As shown below, the center point can be calculated based on a) three keypoints, b) three keypoints and a radius, or c) three locations on a line. Note that for method c, if a circular line is specified by VAL1, VAL2 through VAL4 are not needed.

Menu Paths

Main Menu>Preprocessor>Modeling>Create>Keypoints>KP at center>3 keypoints

Main Menu>Preprocessor>Modeling>Create>Keypoints>KP at center>3 KPs and radius

Main Menu>Preprocessor>Modeling>Create>Keypoints>KP at center>Location on line