HM-3560: Basics of Domains and Handles

In this step you will open the model file, morphing_1.hm.

In this step you will auto generate 2D domains and handles.

1. Click the Morphing menu in the menu bar and select Create > Domains.
2. Change the create method to auto functions.
3. Click generate.
   Based on the model’s geometric features, the model’s elements are organized into various domains and local handles are created and associated with the domains.

In this step you will move elements into a new 2D domain.

1. Set the selector to 2D domains. Toggle to the elems selector if not already there.
2. Click to clear the elements that were already selected.
3. Using elems >> by window, select the elements indicated in the following image.

   
   
   Figure 1.

4. Verify that partition 2D domains is active.
5. Click create to create the domain.
   Local handles are created for the new domain. You should now have two local domains. Elements can only belong to one domain at a time. Thus, the elements you selected were moved into the new domain. This functionality makes it very easy to group elements into different domains.

In this step you will split the edge domain of the radius to have more control when morphing.

1. Click the edit edges subpanel in the Morphing > Domains panel.
2. Verify that the split option is selected.
3. With the domain selector active, select the edge domain of the part's radius as shown in the following image.
   The node selector automatically becomes active once the edge domain is selected. Click the domain selector to make it active and see that you selected the desired edge domain.

   
   
   Figure 2.

4. Click the node selector to make it active.
5. Select the node on the positive Y-axis end of the radius, as indicated in the following image.

   
   
   Figure 3.

6. Click split to split the edge domain at the node.
7. Repeat the above process to further split the edge domain of the radius, this time at the node indicated in the following image.

   
   
   Figure 4.

8. When complete, click return to exit the panel.

In this step, you will add local handles to the 2D domain on the part's left side.

1. Click the Morphing menu and pick Create > Handles.
2. For name=, type local.
3. Click the attached to: domain selector to make it active.
4. Select the 2-D domain on the part’s left side by selecting its red icon, as indicated in the following image.

   
   
   Figure 5.

5. Click the by nodes: nodes selector to make it active.
6. Select the two nodes as indicated in the previous image.
7. Click create to create the handles and add them to the 2D domain.
8. Click return to exit the panel.

In this step, you will perform basic morphing to understand how domains and handles interact with each other and the mesh.

1. Click the Morphing menu and select Morph.
2. Select the move handles subpanel if not already selected.
3. Change the mode to interactive if not already set.
4. With the handles selector active, select the two handles on the right-hand end of the part as indicated in the image below. If you select one or more handles, those handles follow the handle you drag.
5. Switch from manipulator to on plane.
6. Click the N1 selector to make it active.
7. For N1, N2, and N3, select any three nodes on the model to define a plane.
8. Click morph.
   The message, "pick handles and move to new location" appears in the status bar.
9. Click on and drag one of the selected handles to morph the part.
   As you drag the handle, the mesh's size and shape is adjusted. Notice that the following occurs as the selected local handle is moved:

   • The handles selected in Step 6.2 above follow the handle you are dragging.
   • All of the elements belonging to the selected local handle’s 2D domain are affected by moving that local handle.
   • The 2D domain’s non-selected local handles act like anchors (they do not move).
   • The nodes on the edge domains and between any two non-selected local domains do not move.
   • None of the elements in the other 2D domain are affected.
10. Release the mouse button to complete the morphing operation.

    
    
    Figure 6.

11. Click undo.
    The HyperMorph module allows for multiple levels of undo and redo for all morphing operations. This functionality is available for any particular HyperMesh session and its current model as long as the session and its model remain open.
12. Click to clear the selected handles.
13. With the handles selector active, select one or more global handles.
14. Click morph.
15. Click on and drag any global handle to morph the part.
    The following occurs as the selected global handle is moved:

    • The handles selected in Step 2 above follow the handle you are dragging.
    • The non-selected global handles act like anchors (they do not move).
    • All of the elements, local handles, and edge domains are affected.