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Get Started
New to Inspire? Learn the basics here.
Browse and Organize
Browse and organize all of the entities in your model.
Mass Calculation
Mass calculation allows masses to be calculated and displayed in the Model Browser.

Welcome
What's New
Discover new features and enhancements.
Get Started
New to Inspire? Learn the basics here.
- What is Altair Inspire?
  Inspire is a concept design tool, which you can use to run structural optimization, finite element analysis, motion analysis, and additive manufacturing analysis.
- Videos: Getting Started with Inspire
  A series of videos introducing the view controls, 3D modeling, structural analysis, topology optimization, and PolyNURBS.
- Licensing Features
  Some ribbon tabs are associated with license features. Depending upon the tab you have invoked, additional units may be drawn. These features will be checked out for the duration of the session.
- Workspace and Tool Belts
  Learn how to customize the workspace and tool belts.
- Find and Search for Tools
  Quickly find and open the tools that are available on the ribbons.
- File Import and Export
  Learn how to import geometry and export results.
- Select and Edit
  Review techniques for selecting and editing objects.
- Adjust the View
  Change the view in the modeling window using the mouse or view controls.
- Move and Snap
  Translate, rotate, and align parts and other objects using the Move tool and snaps.
- Screen Capture
  Record a video or take a snapshot of the screen.
- Units and Measurement
  Change the default unit system, create custom units, and measure geometry features.
- Browse and Organize
  Browse and organize all of the entities in your model.
  - Find
    Find entities in the model that contain the search string you enter. The search results are not filtered.
  - Search and Filter
    Search entities and automatically filter the results to only display the entities that contain the search string. You can also filter by entity type.
  - Show or Hide
    Show or hide an entity by clicking its icon in the Model Browser or using the context menu.
  - Mass Calculation
    Mass calculation allows masses to be calculated and displayed in the Model Browser.
  - Parts and Assemblies
    Organize parts into assemblies and view part alternatives.
  - Configure a Model
    Configure a model by activating or deactivating parts so they are included or excluded from calculations like mass summaries, static weight calculations, optimization, etc.
  - Manage Load Cases
    Create load cases to define sets of loads, supports, and other entites that act on a model.
  - Customize the Model Browser
    Display properties such as mass, element size, and thickness in columns in the Model Browser.
  - Show Model, Assembly, or Part Information
    Quickly find out how many items are in an entire model, an assembly, or a part. For example, if you select the entire model, you will see the number of forces, supports, assemblies, parts, loads, etc. If you select a part, you will see the mass, volume, bounding box, center of gravity, features, etc.
- Run a Simulation
  Use the Analyze icons that appear on various ribbons to run and view the results of a simulation.
- Help and User Assistance
  Learn about the forms of help and user assistance available from the product.
- Preferences
  Modify the workspace display, default keyboard shortcuts, and other settings.
- System Requirements
  A list of supported operating systems and minimum requirements for hardware and memory.
- Keyboard Shortcuts and Mouse Controls
  Learn keyboard shortcuts and mouse controls for common operations.
Tutorials
Start using Inspire with our interactive tutorials.
Parametric Modeling
Create parametric sketches, geometry, and PolyNURBS with construction history and variables.
Implicit Modeling
Create implicit models with primitives, lattices, point clouds, fields, offsetting, Booleans, inverting, smoothing, morphing, and filleting.
Structures
Set up your model and run a structural analysis or optimization.
Motion
Set up and run a motion analysis, plot the results, and export the results.
Fluids
Prepare and run a computational fluid dynamics simulation.
Design Explorer
Evaluate designs by using geometric variables and applying a design-of-experiments (DOE) or optimization method. We recommend fully constraining your sketch when sketch variables are used in the design exploration.
Manufacture
Set up and run a basic porosity or thinning analysis.
Print 3D
Prepare and run an additive manufacturing simulation, and export a file for 3D printing.
Rendering
Adjust the materials and environment of objects in the scene to create a photorealistic image.
Inspire Python API
Learn how to access the Inspire Python API including online help, quick start demos, and the Extension Manager.
Reference
View the glossary, frequently asked questions, and errors and alerts.
Keyboard Shortcuts and Mouse Controls
Learn keyboard shortcuts and mouse controls for common operations.

Mass Calculation

Mass calculation allows masses to be calculated and displayed in the Model Browser.

To improve overall performance, when a CAD file is imported the mass sizes are not calculated and are shown as ** in the Model Browser.

To display mass in the Model Browser, right-click the column header in the Model Browser.
Under Property, select the Mass checkbox.
Click OK.
Click the Calculate button to display the mass of a part. A nonzero mass indicates a solid object.

Note: You can override a selected part's mass in the Property Editor. This will affect measure weight calculations and motion calculations, but not structural analysis calculations.