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Connections
Connections are used to define the association of different regions of interest between parts in an assembly.
Virtual Connector
Virtual connectors are rigid imaginary parts created between selected faces/spots representing geometrical support of the connector.
Pin
Connect an arbitrary number of coaxial cylindrical faces.

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Interface with External Products
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Geometry
Information about treatment and properties of geometric entities in SimSolid.
Assembly
Summary of available functionality for defining the properties and behavior of parts in the model.
Connections
Connections are used to define the association of different regions of interest between parts in an assembly.
- Regular Connections
  Regular connections can be used to define contact-based connections between parts in an assembly.
- Precise Connections
  SimSolid creates precise connections on the fly during geometry import and are grouped under the Precise connection folder.
- Welds
  Welding is a process that joins materials, usually metals by using heat or pressure.
- Adhesives
  Structural adhesives are simulated as thin layers of adhesive material associated with a connection.
- Virtual Connector
  Virtual connectors are rigid imaginary parts created between selected faces/spots representing geometrical support of the connector.
  - Pin
    Connect an arbitrary number of coaxial cylindrical faces.
  - General Connector
    Create a rigid imaginary rigid part between arbitrary faces/spots.
  - Bushing
    Define directional stiffness and inertia coefficients between two parts
  - Imported Bushing
    Defines directional stiffness between two parts that lie within specified diameter from the bushing center via importing a .csv file.
  - Rivet
    Connect multiple part with rivets of a given diameter or by finding the cylindrical holes automatically.
  - Remote Mass
    Connect faces/spots of a single part to a remote mass represented as mass and moments of inertia.
  - Joints
    Connect faces/spots that can have relative motion in the form of displacements and/or rotations.
  - Superelements
    Used to import a DMIG file which is the reduced representation of the behavior and performance of a structure or a part of a structure.
- Connection Review
  Provides a comprehensive table of all connections within a specified design study
- Review Part Connection Locations
  Diagnose connection problems.
- Review Part Connections
  Review connections on selected parts.
- Reuse Part Connection
  Allows you to quickly apply existing connection definitions from a part to all its instances
- Show Disconnected Groups
  Identify groups of parts that are disconnected from the model.
Create Analysis
Create an analysis for your project.
Boundary Conditions
Boundary Conditions available for SimSolid.
Post Processing
Run analyses and view a variety of results in SimSolid.
Design Study
Design studies allow you to quickly evaluate and compare the structural performance from different design scenarios.
Verification Problems
Solved verification models.
Frequently Asked Questions
This section provides quick responses to typical and frequently asked questions regarding

Pin

Connect an arbitrary number of coaxial cylindrical faces.

Virtual pins act like hinges between connected parts. Three different pin types are supported:

Rotating: Rotating pins can rotate around the axis of the cylindrical faces (sliding in circumferential direction) but cannot slide along the axis. It acts like a hinge about the axis of cylindrical faces between the connected parts.
Bonded: Bonded Virtual Pins are glued into the support faces.
Sliding: Sliding pins can rotate around the axis of the cylindrical faces (sliding in circumferential direction) and slide along the axis.

Note: Since virtual connectors create perfectly rigid boundaries, stresses along the boundary faces can have local concentrations.

In the Project Tree, open the Connections workbench
On the Connections workbench, select > Pin.
In the Virtual connector dialog, use the radio buttons to specify the Pin type.
In the modeling window, click to select specific parts on the model.
Your selections will appear in the Virtual connector dialog.
Note: For a Virtual Pin, you must select a cylindrical face.
Click OK.
The connector will appear in the Connections branch. If selected, it will be visually represented in the modeling window.