Apply Constraints

Apply pin, blankholder and drawbead contraints.

Add/Edit Pin Constraints

Apply Pin constraints to the points and edges of a part or FE mesh.

  1. From the Feasibility ribbon, Setup tools, Constrain tool group, click the Pin tool.


  2. Left-click on a point or edge of a part, or on an individual node or edge of a FE mesh, to place a pin constraint.


    Note: To improve edge selection on FE mesh, adjust the angle in Preferences.
  3. Select the pin to toggle translation on or off along the edge.


    Note: You can not toggle translation if the selected edge is
    • along the draw direction, or within +/- 2 degrees
    • a closed loop
Tip: Apply a pin constraint to multiple edges by holding Ctrl while left-clicking. Once you have selected all necessary edges, left-click to place the pin constraint.

Add/Edit Blankholder

Use the Blankholder tool to create blankholder constraints.

Blankholder constraints can be defined as the upper and lower holding surfaces that control metal flow around a shape to be formed in a stamping operation. They supply a restraining force on the material during the pressing process.

  1. On the Feasibility tab, select Blankholder from the Constrain tool group.

  2. Select blankholder surfaces or elements of FE mesh .
    Candidates are pre-grouped and highlighted based on your cursor location. If individually selected surfaces or elements of FE mesh share an edge, they will be grouped together.
    • To select pre-grouped blankholder surfaces or elements of FE mesh, left-click.
    • To select individual surfaces or elements of FE mesh, hold the Ctrl key and left-click.
    • To append surfaces or elements of FE mesh to your selection, hold the Ctrl key and left-click.

    Surfaces or elements of FE mesh that are selected are highlighted red.

    Note: To improve element selection, adjust the angle in Preferences.
  3. Create blankholders.
    • To create a blankholder on an individual surface, group, or element of FE mesh, select a surface or element of FE mesh and left-click.
    • To create blankholders for all selected surfaces or elements of FE mesh, on the guide bar, click Create All Blankholders.
  4. In the microdialog, define the blankholder force.
    By default, the blankholder force is Low.
    • Set the force to Low, Medium, or High.
    • Or manually enter a force value.


Add/Edit Drawbead

Create drawbead constraints with user-defined or preset values.

  1. From the Feasibility ribbon, Setup tools, Constrain tool group, click the Drawbead tool.


  2. Select the drawbead edge(s).
    Drawbead edges are pre-grouped and highlighted based on your cursor location. If individually selected edges share a point, they will be grouped together.
    • Select pre-grouped drawbead edges by left-clicking.
    • Select individual edges by holding Ctrl while left-clicking.
    • Append edges to your selection by holding Ctrl while left-clicking.
      Note: To select all free edges by default, enable Select all edges for drawbead by default in Preferences > Inspire Form > Feasablity, then click Apply.
    Selected edges are highlighted red.
    Note: To improve edge selection on FE mesh, adjust the angle in Preferences.
  3. Create drawbead(s).
    • Create a drawbead on an individual edge or group by left-clicking on a selected edge.
    • Create drawbeads for all selected edges by clicking Create All Drawbeads on the guide bar.
  4. In the microdialog, enter a restraining force for the drawbead, or click a preset value: L for low, M for medium, or H for high. Click the reset button to restore the drawbead to the default, which is low.


Keyboard Shortcuts & Mouse Controls

To do this Press
Select surface or edge groups Left Mouse Click
Select individual surfaces or edges Ctrl + Left Mouse Click
Append/remove feature selection Ctrl + Left Mouse Click
Exit tool Esc