Main Help → All Commands → MPM Grid and Material Points / Defining the FEA Mesh → Cut
The various shape commands used to create FEA meshes or create material points can be nested by using Cut
commands:
(Parent_Shape_Command) Cut (Child_Shape_Command) Cut Cut (Child_Shape_Command) Cut (Child_Shape_Command) ...
Here (Parent_Shape_Command)
is any shape command (e.g., Rect, Box, etc.). To nest shapes inside the parent shape command, follow its command with another shape command in (Child_Shape_Command)
, but preface those commands with one or more Cut
commands (separated by spaces). Use a single Cut
to nest under the parent shape, two Cut
s to nest under a child of a parent, or more Cut
s for further nesting. The first level below the parent removes that shape from the parent shape, the second adds that shape back, etc.. You can nest any shape inside any other shape (although 2D shapes can nest only with other 2D shapes and 3D shapes with other 3D shapes).
For proper nesting, the number of Cut
s in any command must be less than or equal to previous shape command plus one (e.g., Cut
can be followed by Cut Cut
for subordinate shape, Cut
for another shape in the same parent shape, or no Cut
s to start a new parent shape; it cannot be followed by Cut Cut Cut
).