You can display either an orphan mesh part, a native mesh part, or the assembly in the Mesh module. You can use all of the tools in the Edit Mesh toolset to edit an orphan mesh part; however, you can use only the following tools to edit a meshed native part or a meshed part instance in the assembly:

• Edit, project, and merge nodes

• Delete elements

• Collapse element edges

• Split an edge of a quadrilateral or triangular element

• Swap the diagonal of a pair of adjacent triangular elements

• Split a quadrilateral element into two triangular elements

• Combine two triangular elements into one quadrilateral element

In general, you cannot use the Edit Mesh toolset to modify the mesh of a dependent part instance. However, you can edit and project the nodes of a dependent part instance; Abaqus/CAE modifies the original meshed part, and your modifications appear on all dependent instances of the part.

You can create an orphan mesh part in the Mesh module, or you can import an orphan mesh part from an output database or an Abaqus input file. An instance of an orphan mesh part is always a dependent instance and, as a result, you cannot use the Edit Mesh toolset to edit an instance of an orphan mesh part in the assembly. However, you can display the original orphan meshed part that was used to create the instance and edit the part. For more information, see “What is the difference between a dependent and an independent part instance?,” Section 13.3.2.

The Mesh Edit Undo feature can roll back any change you make to the mesh. For more information, see “Undoing or redoing a change in the Edit Mesh toolset,” Section 64.9.