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Topology
Create, edit, and cleanup geometry.
Edit Topology
Explore the tools used to edit topology.
Preserve Edges
Use the Preserve Edges tool to ensure that specific component edges and feature lines do not accidentally get discarded during auto cleanup or batch meshing.

Welcome
What's New
View new features for Altair HyperWorks 2026.
Get Started
Learn the basics and discover the workspace.
Tutorials
Learn more about the Altair HyperWorks suite of products with interactive tutorials.
Startup Procedures and Customizations
Start and configure the applications.
Tool Finder
View a list of deprecated panels and their newer, equivalent workflows.
Manage Files and Data
Create, open, import, and save models.
Sessions and Report Templates
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.
- Topology Preferences
  Define topology preferences.
- Setup Topology
  Explore the tools used to setup topology.
- Create Topology
  Explore the tools used to create topology.
- Edit Topology
  Explore the tools used to edit topology.
  - Split Surfaces and Solids
    Use the Split/Stitch tool to create fixed points and split surfaces or solids using a variety of methods.
  - Unsplit Surface Edges
    Use the Split/Stitch tool to remove split lines so that split surfaces return to their previous unsplit state.
  - Quick Edit
    Use the Quick Edit tool to split surfaces and washers, change the category (shared, free, and so on) of edges, create or delete surfaces and points, project points, and trim fillets.
  - Stitch Surfaces and Suppress Edges
    Use the Stitch tool to stitch and unstitch adjacent or overlapping surfaces, and suppress or unsuppress edges.
  - Lines, Surfaces, and Edge Fillets
    Use the Fillets tool to create a constant radius on lines, surfaces, and edges.
  - Align and Project Elements
    Use the Align/Project tool to project entities to lines, surfaces, or planes then remap and offset projected nodes.
  - Coarsen Mesh
    Simplify a mesh by combining many small elements into a smaller number of larger ones.
  - Detach Elements and Solids
    Use the Detach tool to detach elements and solids from the surrounding structure.
  - Trim Elements Inside Boxes
    Use the Box Trim tool trim the model, or selected subset, to fit any defined box volumes.
  - Defeature Geometry
    Use the Defeature tool to automatically find, review, and defeature holes and other non-essential features.
  - Preserve Edges
    Use the Preserve Edges tool to ensure that specific component edges and feature lines do not accidentally get discarded during auto cleanup or batch meshing.
  - CAD Update
    In this section you will learn about updating CAD metadata and parameters.
  - Match Topology
    Fix gaps between stitched edges and vertices to make the actual geometry of the surfaces consistent with the model topology.
  - Find Intersections and Penetrations
    Find intersections and penetrations between geometric surfaces and solids.
  - Find Symmetry
    Find symmetrical surfaces or compare selected surface sets for symmetry. You can reorganize found symmetric surfaces into separate components or delete one subset of a pair of symmetric surface sets.
  - Change Element Configuration
    Make changes to the configuration of existing elements.
  - Change Element Type
    Change existing element types.
  - Change Element Order
    Change a group of elements from second order elements to first order elements, or vice versa.
  - Compare Models
    Perform a model-based CAD-CAD, CAD-FE or FE-FE comparison between two models, or two selections of entities, and find and report geometrical/shape differences.
- Use Parasolid
  The Use Parasolid option, found in multiple Topology tools, helps you in creating/editing geometries using a parasolid geometry modeling kernel.
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.
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.

Preserve Edges

Use the Preserve Edges tool to ensure that specific component edges and feature lines do not accidentally get discarded during auto cleanup or batch meshing.

Note: FE geometry is not supported for this tool.

From the Topology ribbon, click the Preserve Edges tool.

Figure 1.
Optional: From the guide bar, click and select Enable topology color mode.
The next time the tool is opened, topology color mode will be enabled automatically.
Select edges.
Select whether they should be preserved or unpreserved from the guide bar.
Click .
Preserved edges are highlighted.