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Design Exploration
Once the baseline model is prepared, you can define morph volumes, morph geometry, create design shapes and run DOE studies. These tool work for both AcuSolve and ultraFluidX-based workflows.
Morph
Rapidly change the shape of the FE mesh without severely sacrificing the mesh quality.
Shapes
Shapes are collections of perturbations from the initial configuration of the FE mesh before the morph.
Optimize Shapes
Use the Design Variable options to automatically generate optimization variables. These variables can then be used to optimize the surface of the part with respect to the given shapes.

Welcome
What's New
View new features for HyperMesh CFD 2025.1.
Get Started
Learn the basics and discover the workspace.
Onboarding Resources
Discover HyperMesh CFD functionality with interactive tutorials and community resources.
Solution Layers
Solution-centric workflows allow you to traverse through modeling environments using a dedicated UI layer.
Manage Files and Data
Create, open, import, and save models.
Convert
Use the Convert tool to convert entire models between data types.
Geometry Repair
Manage CAD, FE, and 2D parametric sketch geometry.
Meshing
Generate surface/volume mesh by defining mesh controls, or interactively create and edit 2D surface mesh.
Setup
Prepare your model and run the simulation.
Post-Processing
Post-process the simulation results by creating visualizations and measurements.
Design Exploration
Once the baseline model is prepared, you can define morph volumes, morph geometry, create design shapes and run DOE studies. These tool work for both AcuSolve and ultraFluidX-based workflows.
- Morphing
- Morph
  Rapidly change the shape of the FE mesh without severely sacrificing the mesh quality.
  - Morphing Preferences
    Define morphing preferences.
  - Morph Constraints
    Morph constraint entities restrict or prescribe the movement of nodes during morphing, with a variety of available methods and dimensional values. These constraints are valid across all available morphing approaches and can be individually activated or deactivated at any time, even in between morphs or applying shapes.
  - Free Morph
    Use the Free tool to morph mesh by moving nodes, handles, or domains, by applying shapes, or by mapping to geometry.
  - Proximity Morph
    Use the Proximity tool to morph mesh using a simple distance or perturbation value around selected nodes, faces, edges, or shapes.
  - Morph Volumes
    Morph volume entities are highly deformable six-sided prisms which surround a portion of the FE mesh, and can be used to manipulate a mesh by manipulating the shape of the morph volume.
  - Shapes
    Shapes are collections of perturbations from the initial configuration of the FE mesh before the morph.
    - Create Shapes
      Create and apply morphing shapes. Shapes can be created by morphing or by converting load collectors.
    - Delete Shapes
      Delete selected shapes.
    - Record Node Movements
      Record node movements using other HyperMesh CFD tools and save them as a shape.
    - Animate Shapes
      Animate selected shapes.
    - Convert Shapes
      Convert a shape to node perturbations, handle perturbations, an mvol shape, forces, temperatures, pressures, or displacements.
    - Check or Smooth Shapes
      Use the Check/Smooth function to check the element quality of shape combinations and optionally smooth the shapes to improve the element quality when applied individually or as part of a combination of shapes.
    - Automatically Generate Shapes
      Use the Autoshape function to automatically generate multiple shapes for individual handles or domains.
    - Import Shapes
      Import saved shapes from a file.
    - Export Shapes
      Export selected shapes.
    - Optimize Shapes
      Use the Design Variable options to automatically generate optimization variables. These variables can then be used to optimize the surface of the part with respect to the given shapes.
  - Domains
    Domain entities divide the model into different domains during morphing.
  - Handles
    Handle entities control the shape of domains during morphing.
  - Symmetries
    Symmetry entities define planes of symmetry within a model so that morphs can be applied in a symmetric fashion.
  - Undo All Morphs
    Undo all morphs and return to the original state of the model.
  - DOE Studies
    Once morphing is done, you can create shapes and design variables and submit DOE studies. The DOE study tool can be used for shape and CAD parameter DOEs, and for Automation. The purpose of this tool is to provide automation files so you can manually modify them and carry out DOEs.
- PhysicsAI
Automation
Automate simulation processes with templates and utility scripts.
Solver Help
More resources for AcuSolve and ultraFluidX solvers.

View All Altair HyperWorks Help

Optimize Shapes

Use the Design Variable options to automatically generate optimization variables. These variables can then be used to optimize the surface of the part with respect to the given shapes.

From the Morph ribbon, click the Shapes tool.

Figure 1.

The Edit Shapes dialog opens.
Select one or more shapes.
For Design Variable, select the type of variables you want to create.

Off

No design variable is created for the selected shapes. This is the default option.

Desvar

This option automatically creates DESVAR design variable cards.

Design Explorer

This option automatically creates Design Variable parameter cards.
Define the Lower, Initial, and Upper Bound values.
By default, these values are -1.0, 0, and 1.0 respectively. Where -1.0 means the shape will be moved to 100% of its nodal perturbation in the negative direction. Where 1.0 means a 100% perturbation in the positive direction. These values act as a scaling factor of the shape. With 0 representing the initial unmorphed state.
Click OK.