If your model repetitively uses a relatively complicated area or volume, you need construct that part only once. You can then generate copies of that part in new locations and new orientations as needed. For example, the elongated voids in the plate shown below can be copied from a single such void.
Geometric primitives can also be considered to be "parts." As you create geometric primitives, their location and orientation will be determined by the current working plane. Because it is not always particularly convenient to redefine the working plane for each new primitive that you create, you might find it more practical to allow a primitive to be created at the "wrong" location, and then move that primitive to its correct position. Of course, this operation is not limited to geometric primitives: any solid model entity can be copied or moved.
The commands that you can use to move or copy solid model entities include the
xGEN commands, the xSYM(M) commands, and the xTRAN commands (and their corresponding GUI paths). Of these, the
xGEN and xTRAN commands will probably be the most useful for moving and rotating
a copy of an entity. (Copying a higher-order entity will automatically cause all the
lower-order entities associated with it to be copied as well. In addition, if you copy
an entity's elements (NOELEM = 0), all elements associated
with lower-order entities attached to it will also be copied.) You can move an entity to a new location by setting
IMOVE = 1 in the appropriate xGEN, xSYM(M), or xTRAN command.
Mechanical APDL provides the following xGEN commands
To generate additional keypoints from a pattern of keypoints, use the KGEN command.
To generate additional lines from a pattern of lines, use the LGEN command.
To generate additional areas from a pattern of areas, use the AGEN command.
To generate additional volumes from a pattern of volumes, use the VGEN command.
Mechanical APDL provides the following xSYM(M) commands:
To generate a reflected set of keypoints, use the KSYMM command.
To generate lines from a line pattern by symmetry reflection, use the LSYMM command.
To generate areas from an area pattern by symmetry reflection, use the ARSYM command.
To generate volumes from a volume pattern by symmetry reflection, use the VSYMM command.
Mechanical APDL provides the following xTRAN commands:
To transfer a pattern of keypoints to another coordinate system, use the KTRAN command.
To transfer a pattern of lines to another coordinate system, use the LTRAN command.
To transfer a pattern of areas to another coordinate system, use the ATRAN command.
To transfer a pattern of volumes to another coordinate system:, use the VTRAN command.