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Model Build and Assembly
Create, organize, and manage parts and subsystems.
Configure PDM Connectors
Set Up UDM to PDM Mapping Files
Set up the UDM to PDM mapping files: plmxml_udm_config.xml, wc_udm_config.xml, openpdm_udm_config.xml, and ap242_udm_xml.
Configuration Summary: ap242_udm_config.xml
The ap242_udm_config.xml configuration file controls the UDM XML to AP242 XML transformation. It defines mappings between elements, file type definitions, and attribute translation settings.
Key Configuration Settings for PDM Connector Users
UDMToAP242ContentDefinitions Configuration
The <UDMToAP242ContentDefinitions> section defines how Altair UDM content types are mapped to AP242 categories and formats during XML transformation. This ensures compatibility when exporting UDM content into AP242-compliant XML structures.

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.
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.
- Manage Parts
- Manage Subsystems
- PostgreSQL Installation and Configuration
  Also referred to as Postgres, PostgreSQL is an object-relational database management system with emphasis on extensibility and standards compliance.
- Configure PDM Connectors
  - Configure pdmsys.cfg for a PDM Repository
    The pdmsyscfg.xml file defines system behaviors for Altair HyperWorks PLM connectors. The pdmsyscfg.xml file supports background processes, file-type recognition, revision checks, dataset mapping, encoding schemes, and more.
  - Set Up UDM to PDM Mapping Files
    Set up the UDM to PDM mapping files: plmxml_udm_config.xml, wc_udm_config.xml, openpdm_udm_config.xml, and ap242_udm_xml.
    - File Configuration Summary: plmxml_udm_config.xml
      The plmxml_udm_config.xml configuration file controls the PLMXML to UDM XML transformation. It defines mappings between elements, conversion rules, file type definitions, schema versions, and attribute translation settings.
    - File Configuration Summary: wc_udm_config.xml
      The wc_udm_config.xml configuration file controls the Windchill XML to UDM XML transformation. It defines mappings between elements, conversion rules, file type definitions, schema versions, and attribute translation settings.
    - Configuration Summary: openpdm_udm_config.xml
      The openpdm_udm_config.xml configuration file controls the OpenPDM XML to UDM XML transformation. It defines mappings between elements, conversion rules, file type definitions, schema versions, and attribute translation settings.
    - Configuration Summary: ap242_udm_config.xml
      The ap242_udm_config.xml configuration file controls the UDM XML to AP242 XML transformation. It defines mappings between elements, file type definitions, and attribute translation settings.
      - Key Configuration Settings for PDM Connector Users
        Scaling Factor Usage in Transformation Calculations
        The TransformScaleFactor section is used to adjust the transformation values (T0, T1, and T2) along the axes. This factor is applied when writing transformation data in AP242 format.
        Failing Order for Representation Type Resolution
        The <FailingOrder> element specifies the priority order of CAD formats used to determine the default representation type.
        UDMToAP242ContentDefinitions Configuration
        The <UDMToAP242ContentDefinitions> section defines how Altair UDM content types are mapped to AP242 categories and formats during XML transformation. This ensures compatibility when exporting UDM content into AP242-compliant XML structures.
        UDMAttributesToAP242Attributes Configuration
        The <UDMAttributesToAP242Attributes> section defines the mapping between UDM attribute names and their corresponding AP242 attributes for XML export.
  - Create and Register Webjects on the Windchill Server
    Configure and register Altair Webjects for use with Windchill.
  - Teamcenter Configuration Details
  - Update Java Security Certificates
    Learn how to update Java security certificates for HyperMesh using the keytool utility that comes bundled with HyperMesh's Java Runtime Environment (JRE).
- Section Library
  Use the automotive section library for rapid concept development in the early phases of the vehicle design process.
- Organize Entities
  Use the Organize tool to move or copy entities into their proper destinations.
- Match Parts
  Automatically group selected parts into part sets based on comparison method and criteria selected.
- Classify Parts
  Set up and use machine learning (ML) models to automatically classify parts under user-defined labels and into part sets.
- Renumber Entities
  Use the Renumber tool to review and organize the IDs of model entities.
- Reorder Entities
  Change the order of named entities in database.
- ID Management
  Manage the IDs for the entities that you create, and define ID ranges for the entities in each Include file in order to avoid ID duplication across files.
- Perform Representation Operations
  Use the Reps tool to perform representation operations for parts and subsystems.
- Manage Scenarios
  Scenarios are a mechanism to apply controls to engineering entities.
- Mechanism Browser
  Create and articulate a kinematic mechanism based on FE mesh using the Mechanism Browser.
- Model Update
  Compare and update a current HyperMesh session with an incoming model and generate comparison results.
- Overlay Representations
  Use the Overlay tool to superimpose a second representation as overlay onto the current (session's) representation and inspect their differences.
- Model Verification
  Perform automatic checks on CAD models, and identify potential issues with geometry that may slow down the meshing process using the Verification and Comparison tools.
- Systems
  Local coordinate systems can be used for setting up loads/boundary conditions that do not act in the global axis direction, transforming results, defining material orientation, and many other operations.
- Create Vectors
  Define vectors in 3D space.
- Assign Properties and Materials
  Define physical and mathematical characteristics of parts.
- Load Materials From the AMDC
  Import materials directly from the Altair Material Data Center (AMDC).
- Create Mass Balance
  Automatically distribute masses on nodes, properties, or parts to match user-defined target mass and center of gravity (COG).
- Generate Contacts Automatically
  Use the Auto Contacts tool to determine contact interfaces between selections of components or elements. Based on the user-specified options like proximity tolerance, surface creation method, main surface type, and secondary type, the tool generates contacts based on set segments or node and element combinations.
- RBE2s, RBE3s, and MPCs
  Create, review, and edit RBE2/RBE3 elements and MPC equations.
- Create and Edit Curves
  Use the curve editor to create and plot XY curves.
- Analytical Rigid Surfaces
  The Abaqus solver offers the flexibility of modeling rigids as surfaces using primitive geometry.
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.

View All Altair HyperWorks Help

UDMToAP242ContentDefinitions Configuration

The <UDMToAP242ContentDefinitions> section defines how Altair UDM content types are mapped to AP242 categories and formats during XML transformation. This ensures compatibility when exporting UDM content into AP242-compliant XML structures.

Purpose

The purpose of the <UDMToAP242ContentDefinitions> section is to:

Convert UDM content definitions into standardized AP242 file types for downstream interoperability.
Ensure correct categorization of representation and file formats when transitioning to AP242.

Structure Overview

Each <UDMToAP242ContentDefinition> block maps a single UDM representation and file type to its corresponding AP242 values.

Table 1.
Element	Description
`UDMRepresentationCDef`	UDM content definition for the representation object
`UDMFileCDef`	UDM content definition for the file object
`UDMFileType`	Logical file type within the UDM context (for example, HyperMesh, CATIA V5)
`UDMFileExtension`	Expected file extension used in the UDM model (for example, .hm, .CATProduct)
`AP242FileType`	Standard AP242 representation type (for example, geometry, FE data)
`AP242FormatProperty`	Format identifier used in the AP242 representation.format property

Example Configuration

Table 2. Usecases
UDM Format	Maps to AP242	Purpose
HyperMesh (.hm)	FE data, HYPERMESH	FEA mesh data
CATIA V5 (.CATProduct)	geometry, CATIA V5	CAD geometry assembly

Best Practices

Ensure that each UDM file type and extension matches the actual exported data.
Use AP242-standard terminology for AP242FileType and AP242FormatProperty to remain compliant.
Validate your mappings against your target system’s import capabilities for AP242 files.