The Hole Selection node is used to specify pairs of holes that will be connected by fasteners. The connection between the two shell boundaries can be defined either by referencing the hole edges directly or by using the boundaries surrounding the holes. Each setup includes at least one Hole Selection subnode, and additional subnodes can be added as needed.

A single Hole Selection node is usually sufficient for the default automatic search for matching hole pairs. When using manual selections, you need to add one Hole Selection node per hole pair.

This section is enable when Source selection type is set to Edge.

When an Edge Selection node is added, the selection defaults to All edges, which implies that all edges on the source selection in the parent Fasteners node are shown as applicable. This is the standard configuration when working in the automatic mode. You can, however, remove some edges from the list.

In either case, all edges around a hole must be selected in order for a hole to be defined. The Group by continuous tangent option is a useful tool for making fast and correct manual selections of holes.

This section is enable when Destination selection type is set to Edge.

This section is enable when Source selection type is set to Boundary.

When an Hole Selection node is added, the selection defaults to All boundaries, which implies that all boundaries on the source selection in the parent Fasteners node are shown as applicable. This is the standard configuration when working in the automatic mode. You can, however, remove some boundaries from the list to avoid that they are taken into account.

This section is enable when Destination selection type is set to Boundary.

The selection of destination side hole boundaries works in the same way as described in Boundary Selection, Source.

From the Source selection type list, select Edge or Boundary. This defines the type of connection that is made on the source shell boundaries.

From the Destination selection type list, select Edge or Boundary. This defines the type of connection that is made on the destination shell boundaries.

In Shell interface, Edge is set as default selection type for both source and destination selection.

Select a method for detecting the fastener holes, Automatic or Manual. For Automatic, adjust Diameter tolerance, Offset tolerance, Maximum angle, and Annular center offset. These values control when two holes are connected to form a pair. The last parameter is available only when the selection type for either source or destination is set to boundary and the checkbox Search annular shape only is selected. Selecting this checkbox adds the requirement that the region around a hole is actually annular. When deselected, any boundary around a hole is valid as the connecting boundary.

The exact definitions are given in Automatic Hole Detection in the theory chapter.

In the automatic mode, the source and destination boundaries selected in the parent Fasteners node are scanned in order to find all holes. The scan is limited to the active selections. Hole pairs are connected when holes on both the source and destination have the diameters within a given tolerance with respect to the fastener diameter, and have their centers located on the same axis normal to the two boundaries.

Physics tab with Fasteners node selected in the model tree: