Assign a point mass manually

Each Point Mass that you define is listed in the browser under a Point Masses node. These instructions assume you are setting up one of the following study types:

Thermal stress

Static stress

Nonlinear static stress

Modal frequencies

Quasi-static Event simulation

Dynamic Event simulation

1. In the SIMULATION workspace, select Point Mass (Manual) from the LOAD drop-down menu.
2. Define the location of a point mass. There are two options:

   • Reference: Select a face to be used as a reference. Then, drag a manipulator arrow to move the mass relative to the centroid of the selected face. The manipulator arrows are located next to the Point Mass glyph in the model canvas.

     You can also type position offsets into the X Distance, Y Distance, and Z Distance fields.

     Important: The X, Y, and Z Distance fields do not necessarily correspond to the global X, Y, and Z directions. For the Reference mode, these directions are local and are based on the geometry and orientation of the selected face.
     Tip: An easy way to determine which input field corresponds to which offset direction is to click and drag a manipulator arrow. Then, notice which Distance field has a changing value while you are dragging the arrow.

   • Absolute: Define the position relative to the global origin. Use the X Distance, Y Distance, and Z Distance input fields to specify the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the Point Mass location. You can also drag the manipulator arrows to move the mass. In this case, the input field labels are consistent with the global axis directions.

3. Select faces where the point mass is to be attached to the model.
4. Optionally, click the Override Units icon to to choose a different mass specification unit (g, kg, slug, and so on).
5. Type in the Mass value or choose a recently entered mass value from the drop-down list.
6. Click OK to apply the Point Mass and close the dialog.