Mechanical APDL Basic Analysis Guide

It is sometimes useful to plot one entity type and select another. For example, in a model with hidden
faces, you may want to obtain a wire-frame view. You can do so by plotting the lines via Utility Menu>
Plot> Lines (LPLOT), and then selecting areas using graphical picking via Utility Menu> Select> Entit-
ies> Areas> By Num/Pick (ASEL,S,PICK). This method is available by default.

Combining Entities Into Components or Assemblies

You will likely want to combine entities into components or assemblies wherever possible for clarity or
ease of reference. The following GUI paths provide selection options for defined components or assem-
blies:

GUI:

Utility Menu> Select> Comp/Assembly> Select All

Utility Menu> Select> Comp/Assembly> Select Comp/Assembly

Utility Menu> Select> Comp/Assembly> Pick Comp/Assembly

Utility Menu> Select> Comp/Assembly> Select None

9.1.3. Selecting Lines to Repair CAD Geometry

When CAD geometry is imported into ANSYS, the transfer may define the display of short line elements,
which are difficult to identify on screen.

By choosing the line selection option, you can find and display these short lines:
Command(s):LSEL
GUI: Utility Menu> Select> Entities> Lines> By Length/Radius

Enter the minimum and maximum length or radius in the VMIN and VMAX fields. These fields, as they
are used in this option, represent the range of values which corresponds to the length or radius of the
short line elements. You should enter reasonable values in VMIN and VMAX to assure that the selected
set only includes those short lines that you want to display. When the selected set appears on screen,
you can pick individual lines within the set and repair the geometry as necessary.

Note

A line which is not an arc returns a zero radius. RADIUS is only valid for lines that are circular

arcs.

9.1.4. Other Commands for Selecting

To restore all entities to their full sets, use one of the following:
Command(s):ALLSEL
GUI: Utility Menu> Select> Everything Below> Selected Areas
Utility Menu> Select> Everything Below> Selected Elements
Utility Menu> Select> Everything Below> Selected Lines
Utility Menu> Select> Everything Below> Selected Keypoints
Utility Menu> Select> Everything Below> Selected Volumes

This one command has the same effect as issuing a series of NSEL,ALL;ESEL,ALL;KSEL,ALL; etc. com-
mands.

You also can use ALLSEL or its GUI equivalents to select a set of related entities in a hierarchical fashion.
For example, given a subset of areas, you can select all lines defining those areas, all keypoints defining

Release 15.0 - © SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information

Selecting and Components