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Connectors
Create connections between parts of your model.
Connector Browser
Use the Connector Browser to view and modify connectors in the current model.
Link Definition
A link is a reference to a separate entity. One or more links are added to a connector. The entities to which the links refer are connected during realization.

Welcome
What's New
View new features for Altair HyperWorks 2024.
Get Started
Learn the basics and discover the workspace.
Tutorials
Learn more about the Altair HyperWorks suite of products with interactive tutorials.
Startup Procedures and Customizations
Start and configure the applications.
Tool Finder
View a list of deprecated panels and their newer, equivalent workflows.
Manage Files and Data
Create, open, import, and save models.
Sessions and Report Templates
Set up sessions and create report templates.
Interface with External Products
Solver interfaces supported in HyperMesh.
Entities and Solver Interfaces
A solver interface is made up of a template and a FE-input reader.
Browsers
Browsers provide a structured view of model data, which you can use to review, modify, create, and manage the contents of a model. In addition to visualization, browsers offer features like search, filtering, and sorting, which enhance your ability to navigate and interact with the model data.
Sketching
Create and edit 2D parametric sketch geometry.
Topology
Create, edit, and cleanup geometry.
FE Geometry
FE geometry is topology on top of mesh, meaning CAD and mesh exist as a single entity. The purpose of FE geometry is to add vertices, edges, surfaces, and solids on FE models which have no CAD geometry.
Meshing and Elements
Explore the different types of mesh you can create in HyperMesh and create and edit 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D elements.
Model Build and Assembly
Create, organize and manage parts and subsystems.
Composites
HyperMesh composites modeling.
Connectors
Create connections between parts of your model.
- Connector Browser
  Use the Connector Browser to view and modify connectors in the current model.
  - Link Entity Browser
    The Link Entity Browser displays all of the links that are connected using the connectors in the model.
  - Connector Entity Browser
    The Connector Entity Browser contains a list of all the connections contained in the model, and has its own set of tools similar to the ones found in the Link Entity Browser.
  - Connector Entity Editor
    Use the Connector Entity Editor to quickly view and modify attributes assigned to connector(s).
  - Link Definition
    A link is a reference to a separate entity. One or more links are added to a connector. The entities to which the links refer are connected during realization.
  - Convert Style
    Convert connectors of one specific style into a different style, for example a spot connector into a bolt connector using the Convert option.
  - Combine
    Combine aligned single point connectors into line connectors or combine several aligned seam line connectors into larger one(s) using the Combine option.
  - Split
    Split spot or bolt line connectors into individual single point connectors using the Split option.
  - Position
    Place a connector in-between the center of the two farthest defined links or its source position using the Position option.
  - Add Link
    Add links (component, assembly, surface, element, tag, node) at a time to one or more connectors using the Add Link option.
  - Remove Links
    Remove links from one or more connectors at a time.
  - Update Links
    Update the attributes associated with a link, such as reconnection rule, link references, and link state.
  - Convert Links
    Existing connector links can be converted to one of the following link types: Part, Comp, or Prop. Connector link conversion requests a clear 1:1 relation between a component and a property, otherwise the conversion is not unique and will not be performed.
  - Find Links From Connectors
    The find parts feature in the Connector Browser context menu finds the entities/part(s) connected by specific connector(s), and isolates them in the graphics area.
- Define Connector Controls
  Use the Control Manager to create and edit the various types of controls that will be used later when realizing connectors.
- Create and Realize Connectors
  Use the tools in the Create tool set to create connectors, assign controls, and realize.
- Apply Mass
  Create a dummy connector entity to add mass to a part, or create areas of mass to represent parts not present in the CAD or FE data.
- Connector Quality Check
  Use the Quality controller to perform various checks on connectors and realized FE.
- FE Absorb Connectors
  Use the FE Absorb tools to create connectors from existing mesh that meet specific types of realizations.
- Realizations
  View details for different types of realizations.
- Element Organization
  Organize elements in the Browser Configuration dialog.
- FE Configuration File
  The FE configuration file (feconfig.cfg) is used to define custom welds such as ACM (Area Contact Method) and other special types.
- Attachments and Connectors
  Attachments are an entity to facilitate the ease of joining subsystems.
- Connector Tools
  Use the Connector tools to further define connections between components.
- CAD Abstraction
  Abstract information incoming from the CAD hierarchy to robustly create connectors.
Morph
Rapidly change the shape of the FE mesh without severely sacrificing the mesh quality.
Skeleton Modeling
Create a reduced ordered model to facilitate optimization at the concept phase.
Design Space
Workflow to support topology optimization model build and setup.
Optimization
Setup an Optimization in HyperMesh.
Design Explorer
Multi-disciplinary design exploration and optimization tools.
Validate
Validate the model built before running solver analysis.
Analyze
Models require loads and boundary conditions in order to represent the various physics and/or physical equivalents to bench and in-use testing.
Axisymmetry
Reduce a full 3D model with axisymmetric surfaces while accounting for imperfections.
Concept Modeling
Tools and workflows that are dedicated to rapidly creating new parts for specific use cases, or amending existing parts. The current capabilities are focused on stiffening parts.
Crash and Safety
Tools used for crash and safety analysis.
Airbag
Use airbag folder utilities and export a resulting airbag in a Radioss deck.
Aerospace
Essential utility tools developed using HyperMesh-Tcl.
Aeroelasticity
Import an aeroelastic finite element model with Nastran Bulk Data format.
Certification
Framework to plug certification methods to assess margin of safety from the model and result information.
PhysicsAI
Use PhysicsAI to build fast predictive models from CAE data. PhysicsAI can be trained on data with any physics or remeshing and without design variables.
Results Data
Results data can be post-processed using both HyperMesh and HyperView.
Developer
The Developer ribbon contains tools for automation and customization.
Plot Data
HyperGraph is a data analysis and plotting tool with interfaces to many file formats.
Multibody Modeling
MotionView is a general pre-processor for Multibody Dynamics.
Media Files
MediaView plays video files, displays static images, tracks objects, and measures distances.
Tabulate Results
Use TableView to create an Excel-like spreadsheet.
Text Files
TextView math scripts reference vector data from HyperGraph windows to automate data processing and data summary.
Publishing and Reporting
Create, define, and export reports.
Collaboration Tools
Explore, organize and manage your personal data, collaborate in teams, and connect to other data sources, such as corporate PLM systems to access CAD data or publish simulation data.

View All Altair HyperWorks Help

Link Definition

A link is a reference to a separate entity. One or more links are added to a connector. The entities to which the links refer are connected during realization.

The link definition consists of the following information:

Link Type: Type of entity that can be added to the selected connector(s) as a link reference. Supported entities are assemblies, components, surfaces, elements, tags, and nodes.
Link Rule: Defines how a connector treats an entity added as a link. Adding a link with an ID or name rule forces the connector to retain the link’s ID or name even if that link entity no longer exists in the database. This aids in part replacement when a new part replaces an old part and both share the same ID or name. Adding a link with the at fe-realize rule ensures that each time a connector is realized the closest entity of the correct type is found and connected. This is useful when connectors need to connect to a closest part in an assembly.
Link ID/name: The ID or name of the entity added as a link to a connector.; In the Update Link and Add Link dialog in the Connector Browser, the Link Select row corresponds to the link ID and the link name. Clicking into the fields in this row opens a temporary panel in which a specific entity can be selected. Clicking proceed returns to the Update Link or Add Link dialog. The selected entity is used to add or update a link reference.
Link State: This defines whether the weld created during connector realization connects to geometry or mesh on the link. This only applies to assembly, component, and surface entities that can contain geometry and/or mesh information.

Note: The link reconnect rule (use name, use id, and so on) and the link state (connect to mesh or geometry) can be viewed in the link column by selecting the extended link information checkbox in the Connector Entity Browser configuration window.

The Connector Browser permits the performance of different actions on the links.