Copyright © 2009 Altair Engineering, Inc. Proprietary and Confidential. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1: HyperMesh Introduction

Getting Started

Opening and Saving Files

Working with Panels

Organizing a Model

Controlling the Display

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HyperMesh Introduction: The User Interface

Pull Down
Toolbars Menus

Graphics Area
Tab Area:
• Utility Menu
• Model Browser
• Mask By Config
• Etc.
Menu Pages

Panel

Main Menu

Status Bar
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Modern GUI Environment: Menu Bar

• Designed for “new” users to HyperMesh

• Easily navigate to Panels

• Process Based Workflow

• Action / Object / Method Architecture
• Action: Create, Edit, Delete, etc…
• Object: on which to Perform Action
• Method: by which to perform Action on
Object

• Each menu controls specific HM Entities

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Modern GUI Environment: Menu Bar

Some panels use

icons to represent
the subpanels
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Standard Toolbar

• File Management (New, Open, Save,

Import, Export, User Profile, Tcl/Tk Tools)

• Standard, User Defined and Model

View Controls (Zoom, Rotate, Pan)

• Not shown by Default, Customize from View Menu

• Quick Access to Common “Checks” ( Distance/Length, Mass Calc,
Edges/Features/Faces, Normals, Penetration and Element Check)

• Suggested Method for Creating/Editing Collectors

(Delete, Card Edit, Organize, Renumber)

• Not shown by Default, Customize from View Menu (Only on Win 32/64)
• BMP Image Capture System (Copy to Clipboard or File, Capture
Graphics Area, Capture Panel, Capture “free” Window, Capture Frame)
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Display and Visualization Toolbars

• Display controls WHAT is shown

• Mask Tools
• Find
• Element/Load Handles
• Visualization controls HOW things are shown
• Color Modes
• Shading Modes
• 1D Beam Visualization
• New Visualization Tab
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HyperMesh Introduction: The User Interface

• Graphics area – displays the model

• Toolbar – Gives access to commonly used tools via icons
• Pull Down Menu – places functionality into groups, accessible via pull downs
• Menu Pages – divides the main menu into groups based on function
• Main Menu – contains “panels” grouped in columns
• Panels – menu items / functions for interacting with HyperMesh
• Sub-panels – divides panel into similar tasks related to panel’s main function
• Command Window – lets the user type in and execute tcl commands
• Available through the View drop down menu (turned off by default)

• Tab Area – contains the following tabs:

• Solver, Model, Utility, Include, Import, Export, Connector, Entity State, etc.

• Status Bar – shows status of operations being performed

• Indicates the “current” Include file, Component Collector, and Load Collector
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File Operations

• General terminology:
• Open : Loads a file into HyperMesh replacing the current session
• Save : Saves the current session contents to the file name specified
• Import : Loads a file into HyperMesh, merging with the current contents
• Export : Saves data to the file name specified
• Generally refers to file types other than a HyperMesh binary file
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File Operations: The File Pull-down Menu

• Open… : Loads a HyperMesh file into current session

• Replaces the model in current HyperMesh session

• Save : Saves the model in current HyperMesh session

• File browser prompts for directory and file name if one doesn’t exist

• Save As… : Opens file browser to specify directory and name to save current
session
• Import : Merges / combines files with the model in the current HyperMesh
session
• Various types of files: HyperMesh, geometry (IGES, Step, etc.), finite element data
(OptiStruct, Radioss, Nastran, Abaqus, Ansys, LS-Dyna, etc.)
• Opens the Import browser

• Export : Writes data in current HyperMesh session to non-HyperMesh files

types
• IGES, OptiStruct, Radioss, etc.
• Opens the Export browser allowing specification of directory and name

• Recent Files : A listing of HyperMesh files that have been worked on previously
• Loads the file and replaces the model in the current session

• Recent Imports : A listing of files previously loaded into HyperMesh via Import
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Importing Geometry

• Import geometry data via:

• File > Import > Geometry drop-down menu

• Toolbar > > Geometry

• Common types of geometry files supported:
• Unigraphics (NX2, NX3, NX4, NX5, NX6)
• UG Part Browser
• Import of *.prt files
• Requires an installation of
Unigraphics to be available
• CATIA (V4 & V5)
• import of *.model files
• CATIA V5 license required to
import V5 files
• Pro/ENGINEER (Wildfire 2.0 & 3.0)
• import of *.prt and *.asm files
• IGES
• Import of *.igs / *.iges files
• STEP
• import of *.stp files
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Custom Import

Import tab
• Complete control over FE import
• Import multiple geometry files
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Entity State Browser

Entity State Browser

• Available for all entities
• Removes inactive entities from any list in
the browser and panels
• Removes inactive entities from display and
they cannot be turned on until made active
• Exception: Find brings inactive
entities back onto the screen too and
switches these entities to active
• Removes inactive entities temporarily from
the "database“
• Selection by “all” selects only active entities
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Display Control  Viewing: Mouse Buttons

 Left mouse button

• +CTRL & drag for rotate
• +CTRL & click on entity to change center of
rotation
• +CTRL & click in graphics area, off entities to
reset center to middle of screen

 Middle mouse button

• +CTRL & drag for zoom
• +CTRL & click for fit

 Right mouse button

• +CTRL & drag for pan
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Toolbars

Standard Views Toolbar

Previous Reverse
View Bottom Right Front View

Fit Top Left Rear Isometric

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Display Control  3D View Controls

Zoom In (+) •Zoom in or out by dragging the mouse vertically

Zoom Out (-)

•Draw a circle (freeform) around the area to be
Circle Zoom (Z) magnified
Dynamic Zoom (S) •Zoom into the center of the screen

Dynamic Rotate •Dynamically rotate the model about defined center

•Dynamically spin the model about a defined center
Dynamic Spin

Pan •Drag the model around in the graphics area

•Select a node/point to center of the model at that
Center point
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Display Control  3D View Controls

Rotate Left •Rotate the model view Left or Right about an

imaginary vertical axis in the middle of the graphics
Rotate Right area
•Rotate the model view Up or Down about an
Rotate Up imaginary horizontal axis in the middle of the
graphics area
Rotate Down

Rotate Clockwise •Rotate the model view Clockwise or Counter

Clockwise about an imaginary axis coming out of the
Rotate Counter graphics area
Clockwise
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Display Control  Visualization: Surfaces

• Various surface shading options are available on the Toolbar:

Wireframe Shaded with Surface edges

Wireframe with Surf lines Shaded

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Display and Visualization Toolbars

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Toolbars

Image Capture Toolbar

File / Panel Frame
Clipboard Area Area

Graphics Rectangle
Area Area
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Panels: General Layout

• Panels often have sub-panels

• Accessed by radio buttons on the left side of the panel

• Panels generally work from left to right

• Example: Project / to plane sub-panel

1) What to do: 2) What to do it to: 3) How to do it: 4) Do the action:

Pick a sub-panel Select entities that Give parameters Execute the

for the function will be affected that define how function
to be used the function will
be executed
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Panels: General Layout

• Some sub-panels are organized in columns

• Each column is a different method
• Work from top to bottom in the relevant column
• Example: surface edit : trim with surfs/plane sub-panel

2) Method to 3) What to do 4) How to do it:

1) What to do: use: it to: 5) Do the
Give parameters
action:
Pick a sub-panel Work in the Select entities that define how
for the function appropriate that will be the function will Execute the
to be used column affected be executed function
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Panels: Selection

• Entity selectors
• Control what and
how entities are Entity Type Button
selected for a Shows the type of entity
function currently being selected

Entity Type Switch Reset

Changes what type of Deselects all entities
entity is being selected for the selector

Cyan border
Indicates the selector is active (there can only be 1 active selector)
Clicking the entity type button when it is active accesses the “Extended Selection Menu”

• Switches  • Text input fields 

• Allows a choice of several options vis a pop-up • Operate like text fields in most programs
menu • Can use Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V to copy and paste
• Toggles  between fields
• Allows a choice between 2 options • Double clicking on a text field that requires
• No pop-up; button label simply changes numbers accesses the calculator
• Uses “reverse notation”
• Reset 
• Example: 1 + 1 = 2
• Allows to reset the entities selection
1 <Enter> 1 + instead of 1 + 1 =
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Panels: Extended Selection Menu

• Click an active selector to access the extended menu selection

• The extended menu selection offers

• Methods for selecting many entities at once
• Tools for modifying an existing selection
• Save an existing selection and retrieve it in any panel

• Multiple extended selection methods can be used on a selection

• Allows you to easily select exactly what you want
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Panels: Overview

• Select entities with a window using Shift + mouse

• Left mouse drag – select entities
• Right mouse drag – unselect entities
• Left click – change window shape

• Rectangle Inside
• Rectangle Outside
• Polygon Inside
• Polygon Outside
• Circle Inside
• Circle Outside
• Entities are selected when
mouse button is released
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Panels: Direction Selection

• Used for input of directions or planes for a given function

• Planes can be selected from a vector (normal to the vector)
• Directions can be selected from a plane (normal to the plane)

Current Direction / Plane

Direction Switch Shows a selected axis or inputs for selecting
Options for what entities to define a direction / plane
direction is selected
Reset
Deselects the
selected nodes

Base Edit
Select a node Double click to
to position a access and enter
selected plane coordinates for N1,
N2, N3 and Base.
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Panels  Direction Selection: N1, N2, N3

• N1, N2, N3 direction option allows nodes to be selected to define either

a direction or a plane
• Select 2 nodes to define a direction (only N1 and N2)
• Select 3 nodes to define a plane (N1, N2, and N3)

Plane defined by N1, N2, N3

N3 Direction is
N1 normal to plane
N2
Positive direction
is by “right hand
rule”
N1
N2
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Display Control  Visibility: Mask Browser

 Mask Browser– Control of visibility by

entity type

• + : Displays / unmasks all of the

selected entity type
– Added to whatever is already
displayed

• - : Switches off display or masks all of

the selected entity type

• 1 : Displays only the selected entity

type and switches off display of all
other entity types.
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Model Organization: HyperMesh Entity Types

• Geometry Points
• Points
Surfaces
• Lines Lines
• Surfaces
• Solids
• Connectors (used for welding)

Solids

Nodes Elements
• FE Model
• Nodes
• Temp Nodes (marks a node with a small circle)
• Elements

Temp Nodes
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Model Organization: HyperMesh Entity Types

• FE Loading
• Loads (constraints, forces, pressures, etc.)
• Equations (mathematical link between nodes)
Forces

Pressures
Constraints

• Contacts
• Group (defines contact between entities)
• Contact Surfs (defines a list of entities that can be
used as master or slave in a group)
Contact
Surface
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Model Organization: HyperMesh Entity Types

• Coordinate Entities
• Systems (coordinate axes)
• Vectors
Vectors Systems

• Reference Entities
• Sets (a simple list of a particular type of
entity)
• Blocks (a list of entities contained within a Beam Section
box shape)

• 1D Element Cross Sections

• Beam Sections (cross sectional
properties for a property collector)
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Model Organization: HyperMesh Entity Types

• Plotting
• Curves (X-Y data)
• Plots (a display of curves with axes)

• Output Requests
• Loadsteps (combinations of load collectors)
• Output Blocks (request output from an Plot with a Curve
analysis for certain entities)

• Labels Titles
• Titles (label for a displayed item)
• Tags (assigns a name to an entity) Tags
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Model Organization: Collectors

• The HyperMesh model is organized using “collectors”

• There are many types of collectors
• Most entities in HyperMesh must be placed in a collector
• Each collector type holds a specific type of entity

Collector Types Can contain entity types:

Component Elements, Points, Lines, Surfaces, Connectors
Multibody Ellipsoids, Mbjoints, Mbplanes, Sensors
Assembly Components, Multibodies, Assemblies
Load Collector Loads, Equations
Material none (materials and properties don’t contain other entities but are
Property still treated as collectors)

System Collector Systems

Vector Collector Vectors
Beam Section Collector Beam Sections
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Model Organization: Collectors

• An entity can usually only belong to 1 collector of a given type

• Ex: an element can only be in 1 component collector
• Can create many collectors of the same type
• All entities in a collector are the same color
• Organization can be however the user desires
Component 4

Component 3

Component 1 Component 3
Component 2 Component 2
Component 1

1 component per part Multiple components per part

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Toolbars

Collectors Toolbar
Delete Panel (F2)
Assemblies
Materials Load Organize
Collectors

Card Edit
Properties

System Collector
Components Renumber
and Options
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Model Organization: Collectors

• Model browser
• View collectors and assemblies in a
hierarchical tree format
• Create, delete, and rename collectors
• Edit collector attributes
Right-Click on
• Organize collectors into assemblies
Collector for
• Drag and drop advanced
options
• Also available using toolbar “Collectors”
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Model Organization: Collectors

• New entities are created in the “current collector”

• Creating a new collector automatically sets the current collector to that new
collector
• Model Browser used to change the current collector
• Organize panel can be used to move entities into a different collector
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Browsers

Model Browser
• Complete Listing of all HyperMesh Entities in Model
• Each “Collector” is expandable and lists all contained “Entities”

Component Browser
• Lists All Components in Model
• Colors Model “by Component”
• Quickly Sort by Name, ID, Color, or Property
• Display State Icons
• Geom ON/OFF Single Picking
• FE ON/OFF Single Picking
• Global Controls to Operate on all Components
• All
• None
• Reverse
• Browser Modes
• Graphics/Browser List Picking for:
• Select
• Show/Hide
• Isolate
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Browser Modes – Select

Graphics Area Browser Area

Add Left mouse click Left mouse click

Remove Right mouse click Ctrl + Left mouse click

Multiple Shift + Left mouse click Shift + Left mouse

click
(drag and select)
Advance Left mouse click + Wheel -
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Model Organization: Tools

• Panels
• Collectors – Create new collectors

• Model Browser – Set the current collector for various entity types

• Organize – Move entities into a different collector than the one they are currently
contained in

• Rename – Change the name of an existing collector

• Reorder

• Collectors appear in a certain order when presented in a list to pick from

• Reorder allows the order the collectors appear in to be changed

• Delete – Delete entities or collectors