Applying Contact Matches

You can apply contact matches by using any of the following methods:

Applying Contact Match Controls from Contact Regions

  1. In the Tree view, click the Contacts object and verify that, in the Auto Detection category, the Tolerance Value is set appropriately.

    This value controls the relative distance that the application will use to search for contact between parts. However, if the tolerance is set too high, then extraneous contact matches might be generated.

    For more information about auto detection tolerance, see Connection Group.

  2. Select the contact regions for which you want to create contact matches by doing one of the following:

    • To create contact matches for one or more contact regions, select the Contact Regions, right-click, and select Create > Mesh Contact(s) or Connection(s)

    • Or, to create contact matches for all of the contact regions, right-click the Contacts folder and select Create > Mesh Contact(s) or Connection(s)

    The application scopes the new Contact Match objects to the contact region(s), and sets the tolerance to be equal to the trim tolerance of the contact region. The Contact Match objects are added into a new Contact Match Group folder.

  3. In the Details view, specify the tolerance by setting the Tolerance Type and Tolerance Value.

    The tolerance here has a similar meaning to the Tolerance Value global connection setting, and is represented as a transparent sphere.

    Setting the correct tolerance can be very important, and in some cases may require some speculation and experimentation. You can adjust the tolerance after the contact matches are generated by selecting the contact matches and then changing the Tolerance Value.

    For details on setting the tolerance, see How Tolerances Affect Contact Matches

  4. Generate the contact matches by doing one of the following:

    To...Do this...
    Generate all contact matchesRight-click the Mesh Edit folder and select Generate.
    Generate contact matches for a contact match groupRight-click the Contact Match Group object and select Generate.

    If the base mesh is out-of-date, it is regenerated. The nodes are matched between the primary and secondary geometries, and a message appears displaying the number of node pairs that were matched.

    If the normals between the primary and secondary faces are misaligned, some contact matches may not be generated.

  5. If necessary, review the contact matches:

    1. Select one or more Contact Match or Contact Match Group objects, right-click, and select Create Named Selections.

      A named selection is created for each contact match you selected. If you selected a contact match group, a named selection is created for each contact match within the group. Each named selection is automatically given the same name as the contact match from which you created it.

    2. Click a named selection to view the mesh for the contact match.

      To better view the mesh on the contact region, click the Wireframe button on the Graphics toolbar.

  6. If desired, merge the nodes by dragging the contact matches into a Node Merge Group.

    The mesh nodes are matched during the contact match operation, but they are not merged. If you want conformal mesh, you should merge the nodes.

    For more information about merging nodes, see Node Merge.

  7. To convert the contact matches to geometry selections, select the contact regions, right-click, and select Convert To > Geometry Selection.

    Converting the contact matches is helpful if you want to delete the contact regions, but wish to retain the contact matches.

Automatically Applying Contact Matches

  1. If necessary, insert a Contact Match Group folder.

  2. Select the Contact Match Group folder and, in the Details view, set the Auto Detection properties as needed.

  3. Right-click the Contact Match Group folder, and then select Detect Connections.

  4. In the Details view, verify the properties.

    Primary Geometry, Secondary Geometry

    "Primary" indicates the topology that will be captured after the operation is complete. That is, it is the topology to which the nodes in the secondary topologies are matched. The primary geometry can be one or more faces.

    "Secondary" indicates the topology that will be matched to the primary during the operation. The secondary geometry can be one or more faces.

    Tolerance

    The Tolerance here has a similar meaning to the Tolerance Value global connection setting, and is represented as a transparent sphere.

    Setting the correct tolerance can be very important, and in some cases may require some speculation and experimentation. You can adjust the tolerance after the contact matches are generated by selecting the contact matches and then changing the Tolerance Value.

    For details on setting the tolerance, see How Tolerances Affect Contact Matches

  5. Generate the contact matches by doing one of the following:

    To...Do this...
    Generate all contact matchesRight-click the Mesh Edit folder and select Generate.
    Generate contact matches for a contact match groupRight-click the Contact Match Group object and select Generate.

    If the base mesh is out-of-date, it is regenerated. The nodes are matched between the primary and secondary geometries, and a message appears displaying the number of node pairs that were matched.

    The automatic contact match detection might detect contact matches that are undesirable. Therefore, if any contact matches fail, you should verify that the contact match is necessary before attempting to correct the error.

    If the normals between the primary and secondary faces are misaligned, some contact matches may not be generated.

  6. If necessary, review the contact matches:

    1. Select one or more Contact Match or Contact Match Group objects, right-click, and select Create Named Selections.

      A named selection is created for each contact match you selected. If you selected a contact match group, a named selection is created for each contact match within the group. Each named selection is automatically given the same name as the contact match from which you created it.

    2. Click a named selection to view the mesh for the contact match.

      To better view the mesh on the contact region, click the Wireframe button on the Graphics toolbar.

  7. If desired, merge the nodes by dragging the contact matches into a Node Merge Group.

    The mesh nodes are matched during the contact match operation, but they are not merged. If you want conformal mesh, you should merge the nodes.

    For more information about merging nodes, see Node Merge.

Manually Applying Contact Matches

  1. If necessary, insert a Contact Match Group folder.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Right-click the Contact Match Group folder and select Insert > Contact Match.

    • Highlight the Contact Match Group folder, and then click the Contact Match option on the Mesh Edit toolbar.

  3. In the Details view, verify the properties.

    Primary Geometry, Secondary Geometry

    "Primary" indicates the topology that will be captured after the operation is complete. That is, it is the topology to which the nodes in the secondary topologies are matched. The primary geometry can be one or more faces.

    "Secondary" indicates the topology that will be matched to the primary during the operation. The secondary geometry can be one or more faces.

    Tolerance

    The Tolerance here has a similar meaning to the Tolerance Value global connection setting, and is represented as a transparent sphere.

    Setting the correct tolerance can be very important, and in some cases may require some speculation and experimentation. You can adjust the tolerance after the contact matches are generated by selecting the contact matches and then changing the Tolerance Value.

    For details on setting the tolerance, see How Tolerances Affect Contact Matches

  4. Generate the contact matches by doing one of the following:

    To...Do this...
    Generate all contact matchesRight-click the Mesh Edit folder and select Generate.
    Generate contact matches for a contact match groupRight-click the Contact Match Group object and select Generate.

    If the base mesh is out-of-date, it is regenerated. The nodes are matched between the primary and secondary geometries, and a message appears displaying the number of node pairs that were matched.

    If the normals between the primary and secondary faces are misaligned, some contact matches may not be generated.

  5. If necessary, review the contact matches:

    1. Select one or more Contact Match or Contact Match Group objects, right-click, and select Create Named Selections.

      A named selection is created for each contact match you selected. If you selected a contact match group, a named selection is created for each contact match within the group. Each named selection is automatically given the same name as the contact match from which you created it.

    2. Click a named selection to view the mesh for the contact match.

      To better view the mesh on the contact region, click the Wireframe button on the Graphics toolbar.

  6. If desired, merge the nodes by dragging the contact matches into a Node Merge Group.

    The mesh nodes are matched during the contact match operation, but they are not merged. If you want conformal mesh, you should merge the nodes.

    For more information about merging nodes, see Node Merge.