Layered Material Link (Subnode)
The Layered Material Link subnode () is used for referencing a Layered Material from a Layered Material Stack node. You can add any number of Layered Material Link subnodes under a Layered Material Stack node.
Link Settings
Select a layered material from the Material list.
By clicking the Go to Material () button you can jump to the settings for the selected material.
Click the Add Layered Material button () to add another Layered Material or a Switch. The added material then becomes the one selected in the Material list.
From the Transform list, choose one of the following options:
•
 None (the default), for no transform.
•
 Symmetric or Antisymmetric, to create a symmetric or antisymmetric layered material when the information of layers of one side of the midplane is supplied. Choose which side to mirror in from the Mirror in list: Upside (the default) or Downside. Upside means that the symmetry layers are on the top of the original layers. The symmetry line is the top-side boundary. Downside means that the symmetry layers are on the bottom of the original layers. The symmetry line is the bottom-side boundary. Select the Merge middle layers check box to merge the two middle layers into one to create an odd symmetric layer.
•
 Repeated, to create a number of repeating stacks, which you enter in the Number of repeats field (default: 1).
Select the Scale check box to scale the layered material’s thickness with a factor (default: 1). The scale can be a numerical value, a parameter, or an expression. Such an expression can, for example, be a function of the coordinates so that a surface with variable thickness can be described.
If a single layer in a laminate has a variable thickness, you can define that layer in either a separate Layered Material or in a Single Layer Material.
•
When using a Layered Material, apply the scaling expression in a Layered Material Link, and then use a Layered Material Stack to build the complete laminate.
•
When using a Single Layer Material with an expression for the thickness, use a Layered Material Stack to build the complete laminate.
If you have defined a layer with a scaling factor, it appears in the preview window with a darker color than a nonscaled layer.
The preview is not shown in the base geometry space, so it will not show any geometrical dependency.
The labels of the newly created layers include a suffix to distinguish them from the original layers:
•
 (sym) for the symmetric layers.
•
 (asym) for the antisymmetric layers.
•
 (repX) for the repeated layers (number X).
Click the Layer Cross Section Preview button ( to plot a preview of the layer cross section including the transform. Click the Layer Stack Preview button () to get a preview of the stack with the transform.