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Swap a flexible body for an external system

Ribbon menu → Bodies tab →Flexible Bodies container → Flex to External System

Lets you substitute an existing flexible body in your model for an external system.

To substitute a flexible body for an external system, use the following tabs:

Alignment

For the option:	Do the following:
Flexible Body	Enter the flexible body to be replaced
External System	Select either: ■An existing external system in the model ■Or Create an external system on the fly The “…” button can be used to invoke the ‘External System Cremod’ dialog, in order to create an external system as a replacement for the rigid body. Note: Only external systems with an MNF or an MD DB specified are supported for the swap operation. If the selected external system does not have either an MNF or an MD DB specified, then an error message is seen, indicating that such external systems are not supported.
External System Positioning
Align External System CM with CM of Current Part	Select to align the external system by comparing the center of mass and inertia tensor of the two bodies. The external system is: ■Positioned such that its center of mass (CM) is coincident with the flexible body CM. ■Oriented such that its principal inertia directions are coincident with the part's principal inertia directions. If the inertia properties of the two bodies are similar, this method closely aligns the external system with the flexible body. If the bodies are symmetric about a plane, this method may rotate the external system 180° from the flexible body. In this case, you can use the Flip about buttons to rotate the flexible body 180° back into position.
Launch Precision Move Panel	Displays the Precision Move dialog box, which lets you move objects either by increments or to precise coordinates.
3 Point Method	Select to specify three point pairs to define the location and orientation of the external system. A point pair consists of a point on the original flexible body and a point on replacement external system. The three points on each body must uniquely define a plane. The first point pair defines the location of the flexible body and the second and third points define the orientation. The external system is positioned by making the first point pair coincident. It is then oriented by making points 2 and 3 on the External System reside in the plane defined by points 2 and 3 on the flexible body.
Flip about	Only available if you used Align External System CM with CM of Current Part. Select either of the following to rotate the flexible about the corresponding axis: ■X axis - Rotate external system 180° about its largest principal inertia direction. ■Y axis - Rotate external system 180° about its second largest principal inertia direction. ■Z axis - Rotate external system 180° about its smallest principal inertia direction.
View parts only	Select to display only the flexible body and its replacement external system.
View topology	Select to display a flexible representation of the body and its connections to other parts. Learn more about Graphically Viewing Model Topology.
Copy original part	Leave a copy of the flexible body in the modeling database. This is helpful if you want to reactivate the flexible body.

Connections

For the option:	Do the following:
Update Table	Select to update the Marker and Node table with the changes you have made.
Reset Table	Select to reset the Marker and Node table to the original connections found.
Node Finder	Select to display the Node Finder Dialog Box and search for nodes.
Node ID/Apply	Enter a node ID, and then select Apply to replace the node in a selected row of the Marker and Node table with the node ID you entered.
Move to node	Select to move the marker in the selected row of the Marker and Node table to the location of the specified node.
Preserve expression	Select to maintain the parameterization of the marker in the selected row of the Marker and Node table. The parameterization would be specified through Adams View expressions. This will keep the marker at its parameterized position.
Preserve location	Select to maintain the location of the marker in the selected row of the Marker and Node table. If a marker is not coincident with the attachment node, Adams Flex preserves the offset. This is helpful if you have defined a joint location on the marker. It keeps the joint from breaking. Note: Adams Solver (FORTRAN) does not support markers offset from their attachment nodes. Therefore, Adams Flex (FORTRAN) automatically introduces a massless link between the marker and the flexible body. Learn more.
Number of digits	Enter the number of digits displayed to the right of the decimal point in the Marker and Node table.
Sort by	Select how to sort the Marker and Node table based on the headings of the columns. For example, you can sort the table by the marker that is the most distant from its selected node. ■Marker - Sort alphabetically by marker name ■Connections - Sort by markers with connections ■Node ID - Sort by the ID of the node ■Interface - Sort by interface nodes ■Distance - Sort by markers that are most distant from the selected node ■Move - Sort by the values in the Move column
Marker and Node Table	Displays the markers on the existing body and the node to which the marker will be transferred on the replacement external system. See the Picture of Marker and Node Table. Note that if a marker is attached to more than one node, the marker is listed in the table for each node to which it is attached. You need to change the marker individually for each of the nodes. ■Marker - All the markers on the flexible body that will be transferred to the external system. ■Connections - All the forces and joints on the flexible body that use the marker for their definitions. These joints and forces will be transferred to the external system. ■Old Node - The nodes the marker is attached to on the replacement external system. ■Interface - The existing or replacement node may or may not be an interface node. An asterisk appears if the node is an interface node. ■Old Relative Location - The x, y, and z coordinates of the old node relative to the marker's current position, resolved in the marker's coordinate system. ■Old Distance - The magnitude of the old relative location vector. ■New Node - The attachment node chosen for the marker when it is transferred to the external system. When Adams Flex initially creates the table, it chooses the closest node. You can change the chosen node using the Node ID text box. ■New Distance - The magnitude of the relative location vector. ■New Relative Location - The x,y,z coordinates of the chosen attachment node relative to the marker's current position, resolved in the marker's coordinate system. A perfect match is 0. ■Move column - Indicates how Adams Flex will position the marker. The three options are: ♦move - When Adams Flex transfers the marker to the external system, it will move it to the chosen attachment node. How far the marker will be moved is given in the Distance column. ♦loc - The current location of the marker will be preserved. If the marker's position was defined by an Adams View expression, the parameterization will be lost. ♦expr - If the marker's position is defined by an Adams View expression, the parameterization will be preserved. Otherwise, the marker's current position will be preserved. This is helpful if you have defined a joint location using the marker. It keeps the joint from breaking. Use the Move to node, Preserve location, and Preserve expression buttons to set the Move column value.