Interaction Viewer PropertyManager

You can use the interaction viewer to visualize the behavior of multibody parts and assemblies during simulations.

Before you run the analysis, you can verify the areas of interactions (such as bonded, contact, and free) defined by the global-level and local-level interaction settings.

To open the Interaction Viewer PropertyManager:

  • Right-click Connections and click Interaction Viewer , or
  • Click the down arrow on Connections Advisor (Simulation CommandManager) and click Interaction Viewer .

Show Interaction

Renders regions of the model with color according to the applied interaction type.

Select Components Select either the assembly or components (two and more) to view the regions of interaction.
Include solver generated interactions (mesh required) Renders the mesh elements that participate in interaction definitions detected by the solver (before starting the analysis). This option is active after meshing the model.
Calculate Calculates all areas with interaction definitions between the selected components and renders them with a unique color according to the interaction type. Lists all detected interaction pairs under Results.
Interaction Type Color Rendering
Bonded Red
Contact Purple
Free Green
Shrink Fit Orange
Virtual Wall Yellow
Thermal Contact Resistance Purple
Insulated Green

Results

Show Geometry Based Interactions Switches the visibility of the geometry-based interactions. When activated, renders the touching geometric entities (edges, faces, or bodies) between the components participating in an interaction definition (global or local).

All detected interaction pairs are listed accordingly under Manual Interaction or Global Interaction.

  • Click an interaction definition in the list to view the color rendering of the area of interaction. The components associated with the interaction definition are listed under each node.
  • Right-click an interaction node, and select Zoom to Selection.
  • You can render one interaction pair at a time, or click Show all interactions to render all interaction pairs simultaneously.
    The geometry-based interactions include these areas of the components with touching geometric entities. To view an interaction pair between faces that are not initially touching, select Include solver generated interactions (mesh required).
Show Solver Based Interactions Switches the visibility of the solver-based interactions. When activated, renders the areas of interaction at the mesh element level detected by the solver before starting the analysis.
Show unselected bodies Active if you select components and not the whole assembly in Select Components.
Plot of a geometry-based contact. Rendering of the touching edge between the two components. Plot of a solver-based contact set. Rendering of mesh elements that participate in contact formulation.