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Boundary Conditions
Boundary Conditions available for SimSolid.
Constraints
Cable/Rod
Combines the functionality of creating virtual cables or rods with the ability to apply change in length

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View new features for SimSolid 2026.
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Interface with External Products
Interfaces that support SimSolid output file format.
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.
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Create an analysis for your project.
Boundary Conditions
Boundary Conditions available for SimSolid.
- Available Boundary Conditions for Analyses
  A comparison chart showing the available boundary conditions for each analysis type.
- Constraints
  - Immovable Support
    Enforce zero translational displacements in all directions on faces, edges, vertices, and/or spots.
  - Slider Support
    Enforce zero displacement in normal to the surface direction on faces and areal spots.
  - Hinge (Pivot) Support
    Connect faces or spots to a ground support.
  - Spring Support
    Set an elastic foundation at selected faces.
  - Virtual Spring Support
    Create a virtual spring support with finite stiffness and spring force between two different parts or between a single part and ground. Springs can be applied on both faces and spots.
  - Grounded Bushing Support
    Type of connection used to constrain a part to the ground
  - Cable/Rod
    Combines the functionality of creating virtual cables or rods with the ability to apply change in length
  - Shock Absorber
    Used to simulate damping and stiffness behavior in assemblies
  - General Constraints
    Constrain displacement of faces, edges, vertices, or spots in Modal analysis.
  - Alignment Constraints
- Pressure
- Force/Displacement
  Apply uniform loads and/or displacements to faces, edges, vertices, or spots.
- Gravity Load
  Simulate the force of gravity as it affects your model.
- Translational Inertia Load
  Apply a uniformly distributed translational inertia load over the volumes of the parts in an assembly.
- Rotational Inertia Load
  Apply a uniformly distributed rotational inertia load over the volumes of the parts in an assembly.
- Inertia Relief
  Simulate deformations and stresses in cases where you have an unconstrained structure to which an active load is suddenly applied.
- Remote Load
  Apply distributed loads (tractions) to faces, general virtual connector, or spots that are statistically equivalent to a load applied on a single point.
- Remote Displacement
  Apply displacements to faces and/or spots that are statistically equivalent to a load applied on a single point.
- Thermal Load
  Simulate deformations and stresses induced by the temperature changes in your model.
- Bearing Load
  Apply a varying pressure load to full or partial face(s) of revolution.
- Distributed Mass
  Apply distributed mass across selected faces.
- Bolt/Nut Tightening Loads
  Available for blind bolts (bolt without a nut), bolt with nut/bolt on threaded rod, nut on generic post or handle.
- Base Excitation
- Volume Expansion/Shrinkage
  Apply volumetric expansion/shrinkage coefficient over seam welds or other parts in the assembly.
- Temperature
  In thermal analysis, limit temperature on the selected faces, edges, vertices, or spots to a prescribed value.
- Thermal Convection
  In thermal analysis, define a convective heat exchange condition on faces and spots.
- Surface Heat Flux
  In thermal analysis, apply uniformly distributed heat loads to faces and spots.
- Volume Heat Loads
  In thermal analysis, simulate internal heat generation and internal heat absorption in volumes.
- Solar Loads
  Apply heat loads based on the sunbeam’s direction for thermal analysis
- Perfect Electric Conductor (PEC)
  Apply perfect electric conductor condition to faces.
- Waveguide Port
  Specify the excitation planes in waveguide structures.
Post Processing
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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

Cable/Rod

Combines the functionality of creating virtual cables or rods with the ability to apply change in length

This tool creates a virtual cable or rod with finite or infinite stiffness between two spots, either on different parts or between a part and a fixed ground point.

In the Project Tree, click on a Structural analysis branch to open the Analysis workbench.
In the Analysis Workbench, select Constraints > Cable/rod.

Note: For modal, structural/modal superelement export analysis, and multi-load case, only rod is supported.
Select a Type from one of the following:
- Cable: Resists only tension.
- Rod: Resists both tension and compression.
- Grounded cable/rod: Connects a spot to a fixed ground point.
To define the End(s), do one of the following:
- For Cable or Rod, select two spots for End1 and End2.
- For Grounded Cable/Rod, select a spot for End1 and then manually enter the coordinates for the Ground point.
Define the Stiffness of the connector. For an infinite stiffness, select the Rigid checkbox.
Optional: If pretensioning is not required, select the No preload radio button. Skip to step 8.
Apply pretensioning.
This feature allows you to define a change in length for a virtual cable or rod. This is used to simulate pretensioning.
1. Select the Cable/Rod length change radio button to input a value.
  
  Note: This option is active only when the Cable/Rod definition is completed.
2. In the dialog, choose the appropriate option and set the value:
- Define the length change for a cable as an absolute value or a relative percentage.
- Define the length change for a rod as an absolute value or a relative percentage.
Click Apply to create the constraint.
The constraint will appear in the Project Tree under the structural subcase.

Important: A negative input value indicates compression (shortening), while a positive input indicates elongation (tightening). Click OK to apply the preload. For Rod, both positive and negative inputs are supported, whereas for Cables it is always positive input.