{"id":10601,"date":"2024-10-31T13:01:06","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T17:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/?p=10601"},"modified":"2026-03-26T04:39:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T08:39:47","slug":"nx-tips-and-tricks-lattice-structures-part-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/designcenter\/nx-tips-and-tricks-lattice-structures-part-one\/","title":{"rendered":"NX | Tips and Tricks | Lattice Structures : part one"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In our latest NX\u2122 software Tips and Tricks video, we&#8217;re taking a look at lattice structure creation. Lattice structures are repeated patterns that fill a volume or conform to a surface. An important part of additive manufacturing, they are particularly advantageous where weight reduction, energy absorption and thermal performance are crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This will be a two part series, so be sure to keep an eye for the next blog in the coming weeks. But for now, let&#8217;s take a look at part one.\ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NX | Tips and Tricks | Lattice Structures : part one\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eKwC_aYQYMU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-dots\" style=\"background-color:#00e6e6;color:#00e6e6\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Accessing lattice design options<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Navigating to and finding the lattice design options is the first place to start. To access the different options, access the Design for Additive Manufacturing tab. Within this tab, you&#8217;ll find an entire group of features dedicated to lattice design. Within these options, go ahead and select the option labeled <em>Lattice. <\/em>This command will provide a range of different options so that you have all the features available to create a suitable lattice structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Design-for-Additive-Manufacturing-tab-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10613\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Design-for-Additive-Manufacturing-tab-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Design-for-Additive-Manufacturing-tab-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Design-for-Additive-Manufacturing-tab-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Design-for-Additive-Manufacturing-tab-1536x863.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Design-for-Additive-Manufacturing-tab-2048x1151.png 2048w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Design-for-Additive-Manufacturing-tab-395x222.png 395w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Design-for-Additive-Manufacturing-tab-900x506.png 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Accessing lattice design from the Design for Additive tab<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Lattice-tab-1024x575.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10614\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Lattice-tab-1024x575.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Lattice-tab-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Lattice-tab-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Lattice-tab-1536x863.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Lattice-tab-2048x1151.png 2048w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Lattice-tab-395x222.png 395w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Lattice-tab-900x506.png 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Lattice pop up window in NX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-dots\" style=\"background-color:#00e6e6;color:#00e6e6\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Unit Fill <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Unit Fill is the most commonly used lattice type and the one we&#8217;ll focus on first. Unit Fill will fill a boundary volume with a lattice by patterning a unit cell in all three directions, and then trim it back to the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are multiple options to choose from within the Unit Fill dialog. Each choice provides a different lattice design, and each design is created for a different purpose, so investigate with multiple options to suit your needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/unit_fill_options-1024x575.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/unit_fill_options-1024x575.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/unit_fill_options-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/unit_fill_options-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/unit_fill_options-1536x863.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/unit_fill_options-2048x1151.png 2048w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/unit_fill_options-395x222.png 395w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/unit_fill_options-900x506.png 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other settings to consider<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we finish with the Unit Fill option, there are a few more settings available to really nail your final lattice design. These are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Randomizing Graph Nodes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps you&#8217;re looking for a more realistic lattice design? To achieve these results, use the <em>Randomizing Graph Nodes<\/em> option in the dialog box. This feature will produce a less uniform final design.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rod Diameter controls<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also maintain control of your rod diameters, whilst also having the option to add balls and blends. These options can be found in the <em>Lattice <\/em>dialog box, and add another level of control to your final lattice design.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-dots\" style=\"background-color:#00e6e6;color:#00e6e6\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Unit surface conformal option<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The next command available to use is <em>Unit Surface Conformal<\/em>. This option allows you to select a specific face or faces that the lattice design will adhere to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <em>Unit Surface Conformal<\/em> option produces a lattice that extends along the surface of our shape or body. It&#8217;s a handy command if you wish to limit your lattice structure to one particular area of your model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(0,225,185) 0%,rgb(0,230,230) 100%)\"><strong>Remember:<\/strong><br>Like the <em>Unit Fill <\/em>option, you&#8217;ll be able to use the basic settings to customize your lattice design to suit your requirements<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-dots\" style=\"background-color:#00e6e6;color:#00e6e6\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Unit Volume Conformal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Another option you could use is the <em>Unit Volume Conformal. <\/em>It&#8217;s a similar feature to <em>Unit Fill, <\/em>but instead of selecting a body, you select a base face. It&#8217;s another option to provide a greater level of control for you. Like previous options, the volume will be filled with the lattice design, but the body will be divided into voxels, and a unit cell will fill each voxel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(0,255,185) 0%,rgb(0,230,230) 100%)\"><strong>Reminder<\/strong><br>A voxel is a three-dimensional counter-part to a pixel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"574\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/voxel-1024x574.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10632\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/voxel-1024x574.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/voxel-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/voxel-768x430.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/voxel-1536x861.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/voxel-2048x1148.png 2048w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/voxel-395x222.png 395w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/voxel-900x504.png 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An example of a voxel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-dots\" style=\"background-color:#00e6e6;color:#00e6e6\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Triangular<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Another lattice option that you can use is <em>Triangular. <\/em>It provides a completely different style of lattice structure to the previous options used, and is used on surfaces or volumes using the graph output dropdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> When you choose this option, tetrahedron structures are created, and incorporate facet edges as rods. It&#8217;s important to note that for spherical models that don&#8217;t have edges, lattice structures can be created on the surface, but not a lattice volume.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Voronoi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The final lattice option in the Lattice command window is <em>Voronoi<\/em>. Like other lattice design choices, this will be applied to a specific face within your model. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll notice the unique lattice structure on your surface, and you&#8217;ll be able to optimize the pore size and distribution to create the desired structure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-wide\" style=\"background-color:#00e6e6;color:#00e6e6\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Continue your journey with NX<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Be sure to continue your journey with NX by taking a look at the links below. Additionally, there will be another blog on lattice structures in the coming week, so be sure to check that one out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NX | Tips and Tricks | Lattice Structures : part one\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eKwC_aYQYMU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/community.sw.siemens.com\/s\/topic\/0TO4O000000MihTWAS\/nx-cad\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Visit the NX Community<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/playlist?list=PL1m1vu8_quoDVJfmPp3FL9700HGM_LK9P&amp;feature=shared\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Watch our full Tips and Tricks Playlist<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In our latest NX\u2122 software Tips and Tricks video, we&#8217;re taking a look at lattice structure creation. Lattice structures are&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69056,"featured_media":10610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spanish_translation":"","french_translation":"","german_translation":"","italian_translation":"","polish_translation":"","japanese_translation":"","chinese_translation":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"industry":[],"product":[304,1817],"coauthors":[549],"class_list":["post-10601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","product-nx","product-nx-x"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/Blog_Header_TipsTricks_Lattice_Structures.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/designcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/designcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/designcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/designcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69056"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/designcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10601"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/designcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10706,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/designcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10601\/revisions\/10706"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/designcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/designcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/designcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/designcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10601"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/designcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=10601"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/designcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=10601"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/designcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=10601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}