Offsetting edges around holes, openings, and fasteners

Before meshing a model that contains openings, holes, or fasteners such as bolted connections, you can use the Surfacing tab→Surfacing group→Split list→Offset Edge command in the part and sheet metal models to produce better meshing results.

For openings created by cutouts, the Offset Edge command can produce a better mesh around an edge or over an area by dividing the face or surface. As shown in the following table, the default mesh around the cutout improves as you split faces by offsetting the edges around the cutout.

Offset edges?	Opening in face or surface	Default mesh (tetrahedral)	Default mesh (surface)
No
Yes

For bolted connections, the Offset Edge command generates offset faces to represent where each bolt, nut, and washer come in contact with a hole. This produces more nodes for the spider mesh to connect to and a better representation of the bolt.

Bolt without offset edge imprint	Bolt with offset edge imprint

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