Connection Review

A table that shows all connections in a specified design study.

This function is located on the Connections workbench toolbar. Click the Review regular connections icon to open the dialog.

  • Select a column heading to sort the table.
  • Select a row and the corresponding connection will be highlighted in the graphical display along with its associated parts.
  • Multiple rows can be selected using the SHIFT and CTRL keys.
  • The Zoom-in button (plus sign with hour glass) will zoom the view to the selected connection(s).
  • Connections can be deleted directly from the dialog using the Delete button.

Connection table attributes

Part 1 & Part 2
These are the two parts referenced by the connection. Note that self-contact is possible using the manual connection creation dialog.
Max allowable gap & Max allowable penetration
These are the user specified values.
Found gap or penetration
This is the value found by the connection search algorithm. Positive values are gaps and negative values are penetrations.
Note: Special connections are created at bolt shank and nut threads. SimSolid assumes no gap/penetration at these locations irrespective of the physical gap/tolerance. NA (not applicable) is displayed in this column for such connections.
Resolution
This is the user specified resolution level used in the gap search algorithm. Possible values are Normal, Increased and High. Note that Increased is 4X and High is 16X the resolution of Normal search.
# of points
This is a relative measure of the accuracy of the connection representation. Higher numbers are better. Connections with thin cross sections and low # of points may cause hinges and numeric instability.

Aspect Ratio

This ratio tells you whether connected parts have sufficient connection points. This is based on the Maximum Gap/Penetration associated between connected parts. Aspect ratio for connection review is calculated as follows.


Figure 1.
Note: Value = 0 is an ideal connection. If Value > 0.1, you will need to change the gap/penetration value to establish the connection with more connection points.