Change Element type using APDL command

- June 12, 2019 at 11:57 am
  
  Johnson
  Subscriber
  
  Hi all,
  
  getting started with APDL Commands in Workbench, I tried to change the element type:
  
  - I inserted a command block under the geometry where I want to change the element
  
  - I used the command: "ET,matid,SOLID186"
  
  Now it says "ELEMENT TYPE 20 IS SOLID186. KEYOPT(2) IS ALREADY SET AS SUGGESTED." in my solver output.
  
  But Workbench is showing a different element (SOLID185) after the mesh generation.
  
  How can I make sure that Ansys follows my command?
  
  Greetings
  
  Johnson
- June 12, 2019 at 3:00 pm
  
  sk_cheah
  Subscriber
  
  Hi Johnson,
  
  A command snippet with ET, matid, 186 should do the trick. As SOLID186 has mid-side nodes, make sure your mesh reflects that (Element Order: Quadratic). Solid185 has no mid-side nodes.
  
  Kind regards,
  Jason