ndist

Nodes.ndist(nd1='', nd2='', **kwargs)

Calculates and lists the distance between two nodes.

Mechanical APDL Command: NDIST

Parameters:

nd1str

First node in distance calculation. If ND1 = P, graphical picking is enabled and all remaining command fields are ignored (valid only in the GUI).

nd2str

Second node in distance calculation.

Returns:

list

[DIST, X, Y, Z] distance between two nodes.

Notes

ndist lists the distance between nodes ND1 and ND2, as well as the current coordinate system offsets from ND1 to ND2, where the X, Y, and Z locations of ND1 are subtracted from the X, Y, and Z locations of ND2 (respectively) to determine the offsets. ndist is valid in any coordinate system except toroidal ( csys,3).

ndist returns a variable, called “ _RETURN,” which contains the distance value. You can use this value for various purposes, such as the calculation of distributed loads. In interactive mode, you can access this command by using the Model Query Picker ( Utility Menu> List> Picked Entities ), where you can also access automatic annotation functions and display the value on your model.

This command is valid in any processor.

Examples

Compute the distance between two nodes.

>>> node1 = (0, 8, -3)
>>> node2 = (13, 5, 7)
>>> node_num1 = mapdl.n("", *node1)
>>> node_num2 = mapdl.n("", *node2)
>>> node_dist = mapdl.ndist(node_num1, node_num2)
>>> node_dist
[16.673332000533065, 13.0, -3.0, 10.0]