Overview
The elements are created using the *Element command. The number of nodes connected to each element is determined by the element type. Element properties include Section properties, which are commonly used across various elements, and Distribution properties, which are applied directly to individual elements. In addition, special elements such as Cable elements and Tendon elements have field values that can change depending on the analysis stage. The table below summarizes the corresponding Section properties, Distribution properties, and field values for each element type.
| Element type | Description | Section | Distribution | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T3D2 | 2-node truss | Beam | (CS) BeamCS | |
| Cable | Cable | Beam | (R) BeamEndRelease | CableLength |
| B2D2H | 2D Bernoulli beam | Beam | (R) BeamEndRelease | |
| B3D2H | Bernoulli beam | Beam | (R) BeamEndRelease | |
| B2D2MH | 2D Timoshenko beam | Beam | (CS) BeamCS | |
| B3D2MH | Timoshenko beam | Beam | (SF) MCKElementScaleFactor | |
| Spring | 2-node spring/damper | MCK | (SF) MCKElementScaleFactor | |
| EarthSpring | 1-node spring/damper | MCK | (SF) MCKElementScaleFactor | |
| PointMass | 1-node mass | MCK | (SF) UCS | |
| MovingSpring | Moving spring | MovingSpring | (P) MovingSpringInitialPosition | Speed |
| Tendon | Tendon | Tendon | (Host) HostElset | TendonStress, TendonStressHold |
| S3F | 3-node flat shell | Shell | ||
| S3 | 3-node shell | Shell | ||
| S4F | 4-node flat shell | Shell | ||
| S4 | 4-node shell | Shell | ||
| CS6 | 6-node solid shell | Shell | ||
| CS8 | 8-node solid shell | Shell | ||
| AC2D3 | 3-node triangular acoustic solid | Solid | ||
| AC2D4 | 4-node rectangular acoustic solid | Solid | ||
| AC3D4 | 4-node tetra acoustic solid | Solid | ||
| AC3D6 | 6-node triangular acoustic solid | Solid | ||
| AC3D8 | 8-node hexahedral acoustic solid | Solid | ||
| AC2D4PMDL | 4-node rectangular acoustic solid(PMDL) | Solid | ||
| AC3D8PMDL | 8-node hexahedral acoustic solid(PMDL) | Solid | ||
| CPS3 | 3-node triangular plane stress solid | Solid | ||
| CPS4 | 4-node rectangular plane stress solid | Solid | ||
| CPE3 | 3-node triangular plane strain solid | Solid | ||
| CPE4 | 4-node rectangular plane strain solid | Solid | ||
| CAX3 | 3-node triangular axisym. solid | Solid | ||
| CAX4 | 4-node rectangular axisym. solid | Solid | ||
| C3D4 | 4-node tetra solid | Solid | ||
| C3D6 | 6-node triangular solid | Solid | ||
| C3D8 | 8-node hexahedral solid | Solid | ||
| C3D8I | 8-node hexahedral acoustic solid(Incompatible) | Solid | ||
| C2D4PMDL | 4-node rectangular strain stress solid(PMDL) | Solid | ||
| CAX4PMDL | 4-node rectangular axisym. solid(PMDL) | Solid | ||
| C3D8PMDL | 8-node hexahedral solid(PMDL) | Solid |