Resolving Body Clashes

Within a CAD geometry, bodies clash when their surfaces intersect. To detect these intersections, the 3D-CAD search tool provides a clash query filter that you can run for some or all parts in the simulation.

Although the input geometry for this tutorial has multiple locations where bodies clash, the following instructions only provide a resolution for one pair.

  1. Create a new design filter.
  2. In the Filter panel, select the following options in the Input box:
    1. Set Selection Mode to (Entire CAD model).
    2. Set Input Type to (Bodies).
  3. In the Search Criteria group box, create the following query:
    1. Select the Conditions option.
    2. Choose Clash + Body Pair + is + Interference. Click (Commit Changes).


    3. Click Search.
      All clashing bodies are displayed in the graphics window. Two colors (Light Blue and Yellow) are applied to differentiate the clashing bodies. If you wish, you can change the colors.
    4. For a clearer view of the clashing pairs, click the (Make Scene Transparent) icon.
    The following screenshot shows all the contacting bodies in the European Truck.

  4. In the Results panel:
    1. To visualize clashing pairs one pair at a time, activate Isolate Result.
    2. Using the Right and Left buttons, cycle through the clashing pairs.


  5. Navigate through the results until you see the following pair:


  6. In the Results group box, make sure that Create is set to Filter, then click OK.
  7. Rename the Design Filter 1 node in the simulation tree to Clashing Pairs.
  8. Right-click the Clashing Pairs node and select Show Only.
    Only the bodies that are clashing appears in the graphics window.
  9. In the toolbar at the top of the 3D-CAD view scene, change Color Mode to (Distinguish Bodies).
  10. Display only the bodies that interfere with the adBlueTankHolder.
    1. Within the 3D CAD > Body Groups, multi-select adBlueTankHolder, connectingRod and chassisBeam_left.
    2. Right-click one of the bodies and select Show Only.


  11. Subtract the bodies to resolve the parts from clashing:
    1. Select all bodies in the graphic window.
    2. Right-click one of the selected bodies and select Boolean > Subtract.
    3. In the Subtract Bodies panel, make sure that Target Bodies is set to adBlueTankHolder and Tool Bodies contains chassisBeam_left and connectingRod.
    4. Activate Keep Tool Bodies.
    5. Click OK.
  12. Update the filter to check if the bodies are still clashing:
    1. In the 3D-CAD tree, right-click the Design Filters > Clashing Pairs node and select Execute.
    2. Right-click the Clashing Pairs node again and select Show Only.
    The following screenshot shows the latest update of the filter where the clashing bodies have been resolved.

    The AdBlueTankHolder no longer interferes with other bodies.