Creating Elements Between Coincident Nodes
Overview
The task of creating elements such as springs or gaps between coincident node points can present some challenges. For example, how do you pick the coincident node points individually? Femap offers a couple of solutions to help you create elements like these more easily.
Selecting Coincident Nodes
Please follow these step-by-step instructions:
- To enable you to choose between coincident nodes, in a model that contains coincident nodes, click the right mouse button in the graphics area and select Pick Query.

- So, when you pick coincident nodes, the Select dialog appears allowing you to choose which one to pick.

- Alternatively, you can use a shortcut key to make use of the Pick Query command on the fly. Right click in the graphics area and select Pick Normal to reset the picking method.
- Enter the Control-E shortcut key to bring up the Define element dialog, click on the Type… button and select Spring/Damper as the element type to define a spring element (like CBUSH).
- Now pick as set of coincident nodes, and the first node will be populated in the dialog. Hold down the Alt key and clicking on the coincident nodes a second time, the Select dialog will appear, allowing us to choose the second coincident node.

Creating Multiple Elements from Coincident Nodes
If you have many elements to create between coincident nodes, you can use a more automated approach and create them all in one single command. Please follow these step-by-step instructions:
- Select the menu command Mesh / Connect / Coincident Link. Select all the nodes to be considered
- Enter a value for the Coincident Tolerance, or leave the default value.
- Click OK.

- Complete the definition for the connecting element properties in the Generate Connection Options dialog.
- Click OK to create all of the connecting elements at once.
Related Articles
Midsurfacing: Using Shell Elements
If you work with thin-walled solids, using a midsurface shell model can reduce the degrees of freedom in your model by factors of ten and save hours of time in your analysis and postprocessing. But you’re probably thinking: “Isn’t creating a ...
Coincident Node Move Only
Overview Sometimes you may need to set up a model to have a set of coincident nodes which can be connected together using spring or gap elements. To help prepare such a model, Femap includes a method of moving nodes to be coincident within a ...
Solid Mesh with Beam Elements
Overview Structures like reinforced concrete where steel rebar in encased in solid concrete can be represented by 1-D rod or beam elements for the rebar inside solid 3-D tet-elements for the concrete. When setting up such a model you have to take ...
Contact Elements in Simcenter Femap Webinar
What is in this webinar? Senior Engineer Russ Hilley presents his webinar on Contact Elements in Simcenter Femap. In this webinar Russ teaches about: Contact vs. Glue Connection Creating a Contact - Automatic Components of a Contact Bolt Preload and ...
Submodeling (Breakout Models) in FEA
What is a Breakout Model? A breakout model is an analysis model created to represent a portion of a large structure in order to get more specific information. NOTE: Breakout models are a term used in the Femap community, but they are also commonly ...