Detach Elements and Solids

Use the Detach tool to detach elements and solids from the surrounding structure.

You can detach elements from a portion of your model so that it can be translated or moved, or you can offset the new nodes by a specified value. Use the Detach tool to detach and remove elements from your model.

HyperMesh creates new nodes at the boundaries of the selected elements and detaches them as a group. Therefore, the connectivity among the selected elements is not modified by the detach function.

In the first image of Figure 1, elements are selected. In the second image of Figure 1, the elements are detached and offset. The nodes defining the corner of the component were not moved.

Figure 1. Detach Elements


You can use the Detach tool to detach (separate) a selected solid from neighboring solids with which it shares one or more common faces (drawn in yellow).

The shared/partition faces between the selected solids and the surrounding solids will be duplicated to become bounding faces of the separated solids. The partitioning faces within the selection will be maintained after they are detached from the rest of the model.

From left to right, Figure 2 shows six attached solids; selection of four of the solids; and the subsequently detached solids. Notice that the selected solids weren't detached from each other, only from the non-selected solids.

Figure 2. Attached Solids


  1. From the Topology ribbon, click the Detach tool.
    Figure 3.


  2. Detach elements.
    1. From the guide bar, select Elements.
    2. In the modeling window, select the element(s) you want to detach from the surrounding structure.
    3. From the guide bar, select what you want to detach elements from.
    4. In the modeling window, select the elements or nodes at which selected elements will be detached.
    5. From the guide bar, click to detach element(s).
  3. Detach solids.
    1. From the guide bar, select Solids.
    2. In the microdialog, select one of the following options:
      Option Description

      Detach all

      Selected solids detach from neighboring solids and each other.
      Figure 4.

      Detach from each other

      Selected solids detach from each other but maintain an interface with neighboring solids.
      Figure 5.

      Detach from not selected

      Selected solids detach from neighboring solids while maintaining an interface within themselves.
      Figure 6.
    3. Click Detach.