Reference orientation specifies the 0° 1-direction for each ply. Reference
orientation is set either by element or by property and is a rotation from the
default solver element system x direction. HyperMesh
supports common methods of material orientation for each user profile. Specific
definitions vary by user profile. For example, the OptiStruct convention is shown in the following image. Figure 1.
Material orientation can be set in the Composite Browser (v2020.1 and later)
(Model ribbon > Composites tool), Composite Panel (2D > Composites > Material Orientation), or in the Aerospace Material Orientation Tab (Aerospace > Composites > Material Orientation).
Click anywhere in white space and select Orient > Material Reference Orientation from the context menu.
The composites panel is convenient for methods that involve vector projection or
system assignment. The Material Orientation tool should be used to assign an
orientation by curve.
