Running the Connection Generator

This task shows you how to compute the tangency connection between structural zones, and between zones and transition zones, before automatically creating plies from zones.

Available in Composites Engineering Design (CPE).

Open the ConnectionGenerator1.CATPart document.

Click the Connection Generator icon .
The Connection Generator dialog box is displayed.
Zones Groups to be analyzed are listed.

Select the first zones group to be analyzed.

You can as well select several zones groups to be analyzed simultaneously.
Note that the Connection Generator does not work on Zones Groups created with the For Solid From Zones Creation Only check box as it is not relevant for those zones groups.

Check the options of your choice to:

compute structural zone edges
compute structural zone thickness points (CTP: Constant Thickness Point)
compute transition zone edges
compute transition zone thickness points (CTP)

Click Apply to start the analysis.
Perform the same operation for the second zone.

There are four types of connections with tangency edges, each connection is associated with a color:

red: connections between conceptual connex zones
green: connections between transition zones and top zones
magenta: connections between transition zones and underlying zones
light blue: edge connected to two transition zones

There are two types of free edges, each connection is associated with a color:

yellow: free edge of a conceptual zone
dark blue: free edge of a transition zone

In case some points could not computed, you can impose a thickness point to modify the thickness, as explained in the next task.