VEORIENT

VEORIENT, VNUM, Option, VALUE1, VALUE2
Specifies brick element orientation for volume mapped (hexahedron) meshing.

PREP7: Meshing

VNUM

Number identifying volume for which elements are to be oriented (no default).

Option

Option for defining element orientation:

KP	—	Orientation is determined by two keypoints on the volume. Input the keypoint numbers (KZ1 and KZ2) in fields `VALUE1` and `VALUE2`, respectively. The element z-axis points from KZ1 toward KZ2. Element x and y directions point away from KZ1 along edges of the volume to make a right-hand triad. (The element x- and y-axes are uniquely determined by this specification.)
LINE	—	Orientation is determined by one of the lines defining the volume. Input the line number in field `VALUE1`. The element z direction follows the direction of the line. Input a negative value if the desired z direction is opposite to the direction of the specified line. (The element x- and y-axes are uniquely determined by this specification.) (`VALUE2` is not used.)
AREA	—	Orientation is determined by one of the areas defining the volume. The area represents the desired element top surface. Input the area number as `VALUE1`. The shortest line in the volume connected to the area will be used to specify the element z direction. (If more than one shortest line exists, the lowest numbered of those is used.) Element x and y directions are not uniquely specified by this option. (`VALUE2` is not used.)
THIN	—	Align the element z normal to the thinnest dimension of the volume. The shortest line in the volume is used to specify the element z direction. (If more than one shortest line exists, the lowest numbered of those is used.) Element x and y directions are not uniquely specified by this option. (`VALUE1` and `VALUE2` are not used.)
DELE	—	Delete the previously defined volume orientation for the specified volume (`VNUM`). (`VALUE1` and `VALUE2` are not used.)

VALUE1, VALUE2

Parameters required for the element z-axis direction specification. The meaning of VALUE1 and VALUE2 will depend on the chosen Option. See the description of Option above for details.

Command Default

Elements are not oriented in any specific manner.

Notes

Use VEORIENT before the VMESH command to specify the desired orientation of brick elements in a mapped mesh. VEORIENT has no effect on tetrahedron meshes, extruded meshes (VROTAT, VDRAG, VEXT, etc.), or swept meshes (VSWEEP).

Proper brick orientation is essential for certain element types such as SOLID185 Layered Solid, SOLID186 Layered Solid, and SOLSH190. In such cases, use VEORIENT or EORIENT to achieve the desired orientation. For other brick element types, you may need to specify element orientation to control orthotropic material property directions without concern for the element connectivity. For those cases, the ESYS command is the preferred method of specifying the material property directions.

For Option = LINE, AREA, and THIN, the orientation will be internally converted to an equivalent Option = KP specification (KP,KZ1,KZ2). Use the VLIST command to view the element orientations (in terms of KZ1 and KZ2) associated with each volume.

Menu Paths

Main Menu>Preprocessor>Meshing>Mesh Attributes>Volume Brick Orient>Delete Specification

Main Menu>Preprocessor>Meshing>Mesh Attributes>Volume Brick Orient>Z Along Line

Main Menu>Preprocessor>Meshing>Mesh Attributes>Volume Brick Orient>Z by 2 Keypoints

Main Menu>Preprocessor>Meshing>Mesh Attributes>Volume Brick Orient>Z in Thin Direction

Main Menu>Preprocessor>Meshing>Mesh Attributes>Volume Brick Orient>Z Normal to Area