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Connectors
Create connections between parts of your model.
Realizations
View details for different types of realizations.
Point Connector Realization Types
A list of realization types that can be specified for point connectors.
Beam (Contact)
This realization creates beam elements between the shells and/or solid elements, connecting them using a contact definition.

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What's New
View new features for Altair HyperWorks 2026.
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Learn the basics and discover the workspace.
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Learn more about the Altair HyperWorks suite of products with interactive tutorials.
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Tool Finder
View a list of deprecated panels and their newer, equivalent workflows.
Manage Files and Data
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Set up sessions and create report templates.
Interface with External Products
Solver interfaces supported in HyperMesh.
Entities and Solver Interfaces
A solver interface is made up of a template and a FE-input reader.
Browsers
Browsers provide a structured view of model data, which you can use to review, modify, create, and manage the contents of a model. In addition to visualization, browsers offer features like search, filtering, and sorting, which enhance your ability to navigate and interact with the model data.
Sketching
Create and edit 2D parametric sketch geometry.
Topology
Create, edit, and cleanup geometry.
FE Geometry
FE geometry is topology on top of mesh, meaning CAD and mesh exist as a single entity. The purpose of FE geometry is to add vertices, edges, surfaces, and solids on FE models which have no CAD geometry.
Meshing and Elements
Explore the different types of mesh you can create in HyperMesh and create and edit 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D elements.
Model Build and Assembly
Create, organize, and manage parts and subsystems.
Composites
HyperMesh composites modeling.
Connectors
Create connections between parts of your model.
- Connector Preferences
  Connector preferences describe how different connector realizations behave when changes are made.
- Connector Browser
  Use the Connector Browser to view and modify connectors in the current model.
- Define Connector Controls
  Use the Control Manager to create and edit the various types of controls that will be used later when realizing connectors.
- Create and Realize Connectors
  Use the tools in the Create tool set to create connectors, assign controls, and realize.
- Auto Point
  Create weld points at a predefined pitch distance so that the model build process can continue without the need to wait for the published weld data from CAD. The Auto Point tool is useful when working with elements, not geometry.
- Auto Fastener
  Use the Auto Fastener tool to identify and pair holes to create fastener connectors between components and parts. The process works on 2D/3D mesh.
- Auto Line
  Use the Auto Line tool to identify locations to create line connectors between components and parts. This process works on 2D geometry and mesh.
- Auto Area
  Use the Auto Area tool to identify locations to create area connectors between components and parts. This process works on mesh.
- Apply Mass
  Create a dummy connector entity to add mass to a part, or create areas of mass to represent parts not present in the CAD or FE data.
- Connector Quality Check
  Use the Quality controller to perform various checks on connectors and realized FE.
- Absorb
  Use the FE Absorb tool to create connectors from existing mesh that meet specific types of realizations.
- Realizations
  View details for different types of realizations.
  - Point Connector Realization Types
    A list of realization types that can be specified for point connectors.
    - Beam (Contact)
      This realization creates beam elements between the shells and/or solid elements, connecting them using a contact definition.
    - Beam (Rigid)
      This realization creates bar (CBAR) elements between the shell and/or solid elements and then connects the two using RBE3 elements.
    - CFAST (General)
      This realization creates CFAST elements between the connecting links.
    - CGAP (G)
    - Cweld (General)
      This realization creates weld (cweld) elements to connect the connector links.
    - Fastener (Coincident)
    - Fastener (Nodes)
    - Fastener (Noncoincident)
    - FEMFAT
    - Hexa (Contact)
      This realization creates hexa elements between shell and/or solid elements connecting them with a tie contact definition.
    - Hexa (HAZ)
      Use this realization to create hexa clusters between shell components.
    - Hexa (Imprint)
      This realization creates one hexa cluster per connector and realizes a node to node connection to the linked shell meshes by adjusting it (shell coating).
    - Hexa (Rigid)
    - HiLock
    - Mastic
    - penta (mig)
    - pie (rigid spider)
    - plink (connector position)
    - plink (middle of the gap)
    - rbe3 (Load Transfer)
      Use the RBE3 Load Transfer realization to create MPCs using RBE3 elements between the nodes of shell-shell, shell-solid, or solid-solid groups by using spot connectors.
    - rigidlnk (midnode)
      This realization creates an RBODY with the independent node located in the middle between the two parts.
    - Spring (Rigid)
      This realization creates spring (CBUSH, CELAS1, CON3D2) elements between the shell and/or solid elements and then connects using Rigid elements (RBE2, RBE3, DCOUP) elements.
    - Weld (Imprint)
      The Weld (Imprint) realization models a spotweld by pre/paring a circled shell mesh from a specified number of elements and diameter.
  - Fastener Connector Realization Types
    A list of realization types that can be specified for fastener connectors.
  - Line Connector Realization Types
    A list of realization types that can be specified for line connectors.
  - Area Connector Realization Types
    A list of realization types that can be specified for area connectors.
  - Attachment Connector Realization Types
    A list of realization types that can be specified for attachment connectors.
- Element Organization
  Organize elements in the Browser Configuration dialog.
- Custom Connectors
  Create and add custom realizations in your workflow.
- Attachments and Connectors
  Attachments are an entity to facilitate the ease of joining subsystems.
- Connector Tools
  Use the Connector tools to further define connections between components.
- CAD Abstraction
  Abstract information incoming from the CAD hierarchy to robustly create connectors.
Morph
Rapidly change the shape of the FE mesh without severely sacrificing the mesh quality.
Skeleton Modeling
Create a reduced ordered model to facilitate optimization at the concept phase.
Design Space
Workflow to support topology optimization model build and setup.
Optimization
Setup an Optimization in HyperMesh.
Design Explorer
Multi-disciplinary design exploration and optimization tools.
Validate
Validate the model built before running solver analysis.
Analyze
Models require loads and boundary conditions in order to represent the various physics and/or physical equivalents to bench and in-use testing.
Axisymmetry
Reduce a full 3D model with axisymmetric surfaces while accounting for imperfections.
Concept Modeling
Tools and workflows that are dedicated to rapidly creating new parts for specific use cases, or amending existing parts. The current capabilities are focused on stiffening parts.
Crash and Safety
Tools used for crash and safety analysis.
Airbag
Use airbag folder utilities and export a resulting airbag in a Radioss deck.
Aerospace
Essential utility tools developed using HyperMesh-Tcl.
Aeroelasticity
Import an aeroelastic finite element model with Nastran Bulk Data format.
Certification
Framework to plug certification methods to assess margin of safety from the model and result information.
PhysicsAI
Use PhysicsAI to build fast predictive models from CAE data. PhysicsAI can be trained on data with any physics or remeshing and without design variables.
Results Data in HyperMesh and HyperView
Results data can be post-processed using both HyperMesh and HyperView.
Developer
The Developer ribbon contains tools for automation and customization.
Plot Data in HyperMesh and HyperGraph
Plot data can be post-processed using both HyperMesh and HyperGraph.
Multibody Modeling in MotionView
MotionView is a general pre-processor for Multibody Dynamics.
Media Files in MediaView
MediaView plays video files, displays static images, tracks objects, and measures distances.
Tabulate Results in TableView
Use TableView to create an Excel-like spreadsheet.
Text Files in TextView
TextView math scripts reference vector data from HyperGraph windows to automate data processing and data summary.
Publishing and Reporting
Create, define, and export reports.

View All Altair HyperWorks Help

Beam (Contact)

This realization creates beam elements between the shells and/or solid elements, connecting them using a contact definition.

Figure 1. Beam (Contact) Realization Example

Contact

Creation: Specifies how many contacts will be created depending on the number of links.; One contact per connector (single contact), one contact per link pair and one contact per link are the available options.
Single Contact: Specifies if the property created will be automatic or the sets will be user specified.; If one contact per connector (single contact) is chosen, then the user can optionally enter the contact sets manually.
Local: The contact will be created in a localized area around the connector rather than the entire link.
Figure 2. Local contact creation
Create HAZ: Creates a Heat Affect Zone around the connector. This option is enabled only when the Local option is ON. The same elements that are used to create the localized contact are used for HAZ creation. Properties and materials for the zone are defined from the connector control.
Card Image: Specifies the card image to be used in the contact definition(s).; The card image can be either ContactSpotweld or NodeToSurface.

Property and Material

Material Card Image: Defines the card image of the material(s) created.; Can be either MATL100 or MATL196.

Legacy Realizations

The following realizations are replaced by Beam (Contact):

mat100
mat196
HC beam spotweld
HC glue
HC glue structural adhesives
HC welding line
HC hemming