Entity Sets Panel

Use the Entity Sets panel to create, update, and review named sets of entities.

Location: Analysis page > Safety module

You can create sets for nodes, elements, components, sets, properties, materials, assemblies, multibodies, ellipsoids, multibody joints, and multibody planes. Depending on the solver interface loaded, only the entities relevant to that solver are enabled. For example, after loading the Nastran solver interface you can only create/update node and element sets.

An entity set contains a specific grouping of nodes, elements, or components. The nodes, elements, or components cannot be combined in one entity set.

Panel Options

Option Action
name Specify the name of an entity set to create, or select an existing entity set. Selection options only include sets of the correct entity type (node set, element set, and so on.)
card image Select a card image to apply to the set. This field is optional, and requires a solver interface with a valid template.
set type Select a set type.
non-ordered (default)
The sequence of the entities in the set does not matter. Entities of non-ordered sets are stored internally in ascending order regardless of the order in which the entities were selected.
ordered
The sequence of the entities in the set is critical. The output for this set of nodes is always listed in the order in which nodes were selected.
Note: Only available for node and element sets.
entity Choose the entities to be added to the set.

When creating a formula-based set, this selector changes to a switch that allows you to change the entity type, but not to select the entities themselves (since that is done via the formulae).

formula Create a set based on mathematical ranges, such as creating a set for nodes with IDs from 1 to 1000.
add by ids/ range / remove by ids/ range
add by range
Add entities associated with a range of other entities. For example, by selecting a range of elements, you could add all of the nodes within those elements.
add by IDs
Add entities based on ID numbers. For example, you could use this to select all of the nodes in a certain component by picking that component ID.
remove by range
Remove entities from the set based on a range of other entities, such as removing the nodes associated with a range of elements.
remove by IDs
Remove entities from the set based on other entities, such as removing the nodes associated with a specific set of elements.
entity selector Select the type of entity that you wish to pick.
from Specify an ID value for the start of the range.
Note: Only available when add/delete by range is selected
to Specify an ID value for the end of the range.
Note: Only available when add/delete by range is selected
add Add the chosen expression to the individual expression list.
individual expression Display the expressions selected.
... View all of the expressions at once. This opens a new window that shows every expression currently defined for the formula.

Command Buttons

Button Action
create Create the set in the database.

When creating formula-based sets, you must click create before you can add expressions to the formula.

update Clear the set contents and replace them with the new selection. To add new entities to an existing set without clearing, review the entities in the set, then select the new entities to be added, and click update.
card edit Open the Card Editor for the currently selected card image.
review Review the contents of a set. For component (or props, mats, assemblies, multibodies, and so on) sets, the elements that belong to corresponding components in the set are highlighted on the screen. You can identify the components in the set as those that are checked in the list (access the list by clicking the entity type).
return Exit the panel.