Mechanical APDL Basic Analysis Guide

For additional information on picking, see Graphical Picking in the Operations Guide.

9.1.1. Selecting Entities Using Commands

Table 9.2: Select Commands (p. 225) shows a summary of commands available to select subsets of entities.
Notice the "crossover" commands: commands that allow you to select one entity based on another
entity. For example, you can select all keypoints attached to the current subset of lines. Here is a typical
sequence of select commands:

LSEL,S,LOC,Y,2,6! Select lines that have center locations between Y=2 and Y=6

LSEL,A,LOC,Y,9,10! Add lines with center locations between Y=9 and Y=10

NSLL,S,1! Select all nodes on the selected lines

ESLN! Select all elements attached to selected nodes

See the LSEL,NSLL, and ESLN command descriptions in the Command Reference for further information.

Note

Crossover commands for selecting finite element model entities (nodes or elements) from

solid model entities (keypoints, areas, etc.) are valid only if the finite element entities were

generated by a meshing operation on a solid model that contains the associated solid-

model entities.

Table 9.2: Select Commands

Entity Basic Commands Crossover Command(s)

Nodes NSEL NSLE,NSLK,NSLL,NSLA,NSLV

Elements ESEL ESLN,ESLL,ESLA,ESLV

Keypoints KSEL KSLN,KSLL

Hard Points KSEL,ASEL,LSEL None

Lines LSEL LSLA,LSLK

Areas ASEL ASLL,ASLV

Volumes VSEL VSLA

Components CMSEL None

9.1.2. Selecting Entities Using the GUI.

The GUI path equivalent to issuing most of the commands listed in Table 9.2: Select Commands (p. 225)
is Utility Menu> Select> Entities.

The GUI option displays the Select Entities dialog box, from which you can choose the type of entities
you want to select and the criteria by which you will select them. For example, you can choose Elements
and By Num/Pick to select elements by number or by picking.

Pr ess the Help button from within the Select Entities dialog box for detailed information about se-

lecting via the GUI.The help is context-sensitive and reflects any choices you have made in the Select

Entities dialog box.

Plotting One Entity Type and Selecting Another

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Selecting Entities