CAD operations

The CAD of the engine block is represented by only one solid body. The corresponding thermal model you created has four thermal nodes. In order to get the right parameters, first you must split the solid entity into four bodies that each contain a cylinder.

To split one body with a cutting plane:

Procedure

1. Click the Split body button  or select CAD modeling > Split body.

Figure 17: Body Splitter window

2. If the body is not visible under Target bodies in the Body Splitter window, click on it in the Scene area or in the Object tree.

Figure 18: Body Splitter selection

The object to cut is highlighted in blue in the Scene area and the name of the body appears under Target bodies. Note that you can select several bodies to cut.

3. Go back to the Body Splitter window, and select Method under Add plane.

In this example, select the Planar face method.

4. Select the front face of the engine block.

The cutting plane appears in the Scene area, on the selected face. Figure 19: Plane orientation defined by a planar face

5. Select the Position field and pick a point on the 3D scene to set the location of the plane. The objective is to put the plane between the cylinders.

Figure 20: New plane position

Note As you move the cursor closer to one end of an edge, the corresponding point is highlighted. When you move the cursor over a circle, the center point is highlighted.

6. Use the manipulators located at the corners of the plane to expand its size until it contains the entire front surface.

Figure 21: Split body plane resize

7. Click Add.

The plane is added to the list of the whole split operation. Figure 22: Split planes list

Note If you select a plane in the list, it is highlighted in the 3D scene and you can edit its size, position, and orientation.

8. Create the two remaining cutting planes using the same process.

Figure 23: Final split body planes

9. In the Split body window, click Split.

The action is finished. There are now four bodies in the Object tree. The split body operation is still active, which means the Split body dialog window remains open and you can continue performing this type of operation. All the bodies that have been created are now included in the Target bodies list. If you wish to prevent this, deselect the Use result bodies for next split check box.

10. After completing your task, click Close.

Results

You should have four bodies in the Object tree. You can set colors for each solid body to differentiate them.

Figure 24: Engine block split