ANSYS Meshing User's Guide

ANSYS, Inc. Release 2020 R1

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Table of Contents
Capabilities in ANSYS Workbench .............................................................................................................. 1
Meshing Overview ................................................................................................................................. 1
Meshing Implementation in ANSYS Workbench ...................................................................................... 1
Types of Meshing ................................................................................................................................... 2
Assembly Level Meshing vs. Part/Body Level Meshing ........................................................................ 2
Mesh Methods ................................................................................................................................. 2
Conformal and Non-Conformal Meshing ................................................................................................. 3
Conformal Meshing Within a Part ...................................................................................................... 3
Conformal Meshing Across Parts ....................................................................................................... 6
Connections/Interface Handling ....................................................................................................... 6
Usage in Workbench ................................................................................................................................... 9
Basic Meshing Application Workflows ..................................................................................................... 9
Overview of the Meshing Process in ANSYS Workbench ..................................................................... 9
Overview of the Meshing Process for CFD/Fluids Analyses ............................................................... 10
Overview of the Meshing Process for Hydrodynamics Analysis ......................................................... 12
Combining CFD/Fluids Meshing and Structural Meshing ................................................................. 13
Strategies for CFD/Fluids Meshing in ANSYS Workbench ........................................................................ 15
Accessing Meshing Functionality .......................................................................................................... 16
Overview of the Meshing Application Interface ..................................................................................... 18
Determination of Physics, Analysis, and Solver Settings .......................................................................... 20
Working with Legacy Mesh Data ........................................................................................................... 21
Exporting Meshes or Faceted Geometry ................................................................................................ 23
Mesh Application File Export ........................................................................................................... 24
Fluent Mesh Export ......................................................................................................................... 24
Classes of Zone Types in ANSYS Fluent ...................................................................................... 26
Standard Naming Conventions for Naming Named Selections ................................................... 29
Zone Type Assignment ............................................................................................................. 30
Examples of Fluent Mesh Export: An Alternative to Using a Fluid Flow (Fluent) Analysis Sys-
tem .......................................................................................................................................... 35
Polyflow Export .............................................................................................................................. 43
CGNS Export ................................................................................................................................... 44
ANSYS ICEM CFD Export ................................................................................................................. 45
Exporting Faceted Geometry to ANSYS Fluent Meshing ................................................................... 54
Named Selections and Regions for ANSYS CFX ................................................................................ 57
Passing Named Selections to the Solver .......................................................................................... 58
Repairing Geometry in Overlapping Named Selections ................................................................... 58
Resolving Overlapping Contact Regions .......................................................................................... 59
Extended ANSYS ICEM CFD Meshing ..................................................................................................... 63
Writing ANSYS ICEM CFD Files ......................................................................................................... 64
Rules for Interactive Editing ............................................................................................................ 66
Limitations of ANSYS ICEM CFD Interactive ...................................................................................... 66
Working with Meshing Application Parameters ..................................................................................... 67
ANSYS Workbench and Mechanical APDL Application Meshing Differences ........................................... 67
Mesh Controls Overview ........................................................................................................................... 69
Global and Local Mesh Controls ............................................................................................................ 69
Understanding the Influence of the Sizing Options ................................................................................ 69
Adaptive Sizing .............................................................................................................................. 70
Uniform, Curvature, Proximity, or Proximity and Curvature Sizing ...................................................... 70
Overriding Sizing Minimum and Maximum Sizes ............................................................................. 71
Global Mesh Controls ............................................................................................................................... 73

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Defaults Group ..................................................................................................................................... 73

Physics Preference .......................................................................................................................... 73
Solver Preference ............................................................................................................................ 75
Export Format ................................................................................................................................ 76
Export Unit ..................................................................................................................................... 76
Export Preview Surface Mesh .......................................................................................................... 76
Element Order ................................................................................................................................ 76
Element Size ................................................................................................................................... 78
Sizing Group ......................................................................................................................................... 78
Mesh Sizing Defaults ...................................................................................................................... 79
Using Dynamic Mesh Sizing Defaults ......................................................................................... 79
Sizing Options ................................................................................................................................ 80
Curvature-Based Sizing ................................................................................................................... 82
Proximity-Based Sizing .................................................................................................................... 82
Uniform Sizing ................................................................................................................................ 83
Setting Sizing Options .................................................................................................................... 83
Resolution ................................................................................................................................ 84
Growth Rate ............................................................................................................................. 85
Max Size ................................................................................................................................... 85
Mesh Defeaturing ..................................................................................................................... 85
Transition ................................................................................................................................. 87
Span Angle Center .................................................................................................................... 87
Initial Size Seed ......................................................................................................................... 87
Curvature Min Size .................................................................................................................... 88
Curvature Normal Angle ........................................................................................................... 88
Proximity Min Size .................................................................................................................... 89
Num Cells Across Gap ............................................................................................................... 89
Proximity Size Function Sources ................................................................................................ 90
Use Uniform Size Function for Sheets ........................................................................................ 92
Enable Washers ........................................................................................................................ 92
Height of Washer ................................................................................................................ 93
Allow Nodes to be Moved off Boundary .............................................................................. 93
Limitations for Washers ....................................................................................................... 95
Bounding Box Diagonal ............................................................................................................ 95
Average Surface Area ................................................................................................................ 96
Minimum Edge Length ............................................................................................................. 96
Quality Group ....................................................................................................................................... 96
The Mesh Quality Workflow ............................................................................................................ 96
Check Mesh Quality ........................................................................................................................ 97
Error and Warning Limits ................................................................................................................. 97
Target Quality ............................................................................................................................... 100
Target Skewness ........................................................................................................................... 101
Target Jacobian Ratio (Corner Nodes) ............................................................................................ 101
Smoothing ................................................................................................................................... 102
Mesh Metric ................................................................................................................................. 102
Element Quality ...................................................................................................................... 107
Aspect Ratio Calculation for Triangles ...................................................................................... 108
Aspect Ratio Calculation for Quadrilaterals ............................................................................. 109
Jacobian Ratio ........................................................................................................................ 109
Warping Factor ...................................................................................................................... 114
Parallel Deviation .................................................................................................................... 116
Maximum Corner Angle ......................................................................................................... 117

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 Meshing User's Guide

Skewness ............................................................................................................................... 118

Orthogonal Quality ................................................................................................................. 120
Characteristic Length .............................................................................................................. 122
Inflation Group ................................................................................................................................... 123
Use Automatic Inflation ................................................................................................................ 125
None ...................................................................................................................................... 125
Program Controlled ................................................................................................................ 126
All Faces in Chosen Named Selection ...................................................................................... 127
Inflation Option ............................................................................................................................ 128
Transition Ratio ............................................................................................................................. 130
Maximum Layers .......................................................................................................................... 131
Growth Rate ................................................................................................................................. 131
Number of Layers ......................................................................................................................... 131
Maximum Thickness ..................................................................................................................... 132
First Layer Height .......................................................................................................................... 132
First Aspect Ratio .......................................................................................................................... 132
Aspect Ratio (Base/Height) ............................................................................................................ 132
Inflation Algorithm ....................................................................................................................... 132
View Advanced Options ................................................................................................................ 136
Collision Avoidance ................................................................................................................ 136
Fix First Layer .................................................................................................................... 139
Gap Factor ........................................................................................................................ 139
Maximum Height over Base .................................................................................................... 139
Growth Rate Type ................................................................................................................... 140
Maximum Angle ..................................................................................................................... 140
Fillet Ratio .............................................................................................................................. 141
Use Post Smoothing ............................................................................................................... 142
Smoothing Iterations .............................................................................................................. 142
Assembly Meshing Group of Controls .................................................................................................. 142
Method ........................................................................................................................................ 143
Feature Capture ............................................................................................................................ 143
Tessellation Refinement ................................................................................................................ 144
Intersection Feature Creation ........................................................................................................ 144
Morphing Frequency .................................................................................................................... 144
Keep Solid Mesh ........................................................................................................................... 145
Batch Connections .............................................................................................................................. 145
Advanced Group ................................................................................................................................. 154
Number of CPUs for Parallel Part Meshing ..................................................................................... 155
Straight Sided Elements ................................................................................................................ 155
Rigid Body Behavior ...................................................................................................................... 156
Triangle Surface Mesher ................................................................................................................ 156
Topology Checking ....................................................................................................................... 158
Protecting Topology Defined Prior to Meshing ........................................................................ 159
Protecting Topology Post Meshing .......................................................................................... 161
Pinch ............................................................................................................................................ 161
Pinch Control Automation Overview ....................................................................................... 164
How to Define Pinch Control Automation ................................................................................ 168
How to Define or Change Pinch Controls Manually .................................................................. 169
Usage Information for Pinch Controls ...................................................................................... 169
Loop Removal ............................................................................................................................... 171
Statistics Group .................................................................................................................................. 172
Nodes ........................................................................................................................................... 172

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Meshing User's Guide

Elements ...................................................................................................................................... 172

Local Mesh Controls ................................................................................................................................ 173
Method Control .................................................................................................................................. 174
Method Controls and Element Order Settings ................................................................................ 174
Setting the Method Control for Solid Bodies .................................................................................. 177
Automatic Method Control ..................................................................................................... 177
Tetrahedrons Method Control ................................................................................................. 178
Patch Conforming Algorithm for Tetrahedrons Method Control ......................................... 178
Patch Independent Algorithm for Tetrahedrons Method Control ........................................ 178
Hex Dominant Method Control ............................................................................................... 200
Sweep Method Control ........................................................................................................... 201
MultiZone Method Control ..................................................................................................... 205
Cartesian Method Control ....................................................................................................... 213
Layered Tetrahedrons Method Control .................................................................................... 217
Setting the Method Control for Surface Bodies .............................................................................. 221
Quadrilateral Dominant Method Control ................................................................................. 221
Triangles Method Control ........................................................................................................ 222
MultiZone Quad/Tri Method Control ....................................................................................... 222
Mesh Grouping Control ...................................................................................................................... 224
Sizing Control ..................................................................................................................................... 224
Notes on Element Sizing ............................................................................................................... 224
Applying a Local Sizing Control ..................................................................................................... 228
Descriptions of Local Sizing Control Options .................................................................................. 229
Contact Sizing Control ........................................................................................................................ 238
Refinement Control ............................................................................................................................ 239
Face Meshing Control ......................................................................................................................... 240
Setting Basic Face Meshing Controls for Mapped Meshing ............................................................. 241
Understanding Advanced Mapped Face Meshing Controls ............................................................ 242
Restrictions Related to Vertex Types ........................................................................................ 243
Restrictions Related to Edge Mesh Intervals ............................................................................. 244
Selecting Faces and Vertices .................................................................................................... 244
Effect of Vertex Type on Face Meshes ....................................................................................... 246
Setting Advanced Face Meshing Controls for Mapped Meshing ............................................... 247
Notes on Face Meshing Controls for Mapped Meshing ................................................................... 249
Mesh Copy Control ............................................................................................................................. 252
Match Control ..................................................................................................................................... 255
Cyclic Match Control ..................................................................................................................... 257
Arbitrary Match Control ................................................................................................................ 258
Pinch Control ...................................................................................................................................... 260
Defining Pinch Controls Locally ..................................................................................................... 261
Changing Pinch Controls Locally ................................................................................................... 263
Inflation Control ................................................................................................................................. 265
Gasket Control .................................................................................................................................... 269
Sharp Angle Tool ................................................................................................................................. 269
Repair Topology .................................................................................................................................. 270
Weld ................................................................................................................................................... 271
Options ................................................................................................................................................... 277
Accessing the Options Dialog Box ....................................................................................................... 277
Meshing Options on the Options Dialog Box ....................................................................................... 277
Specialized Meshing ............................................................................................................................... 283
Mesh Sweeping .................................................................................................................................. 283
Thin Model Sweeping ................................................................................................................... 290

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 Meshing User's Guide

MultiZone Meshing ............................................................................................................................. 303

MultiZone Algorithms ................................................................................................................... 304
MultiZone for Sweepable Bodies ................................................................................................... 306
Using MultiZone ........................................................................................................................... 307
MultiZone Source Face Selection Tips ...................................................................................... 309
MultiZone Source Face Imprinting Guidelines .......................................................................... 310
Internal Loops .................................................................................................................. 310
Boundary Loops ............................................................................................................... 311
Multiple Internal Loops ..................................................................................................... 311
Multiple Connected Internal Loops ................................................................................... 312
Parallel Loops ................................................................................................................... 313
Intersecting Loops ............................................................................................................ 314
MultiZone Face Mappability Guidelines ................................................................................... 314
Side Face Handling of Imprinted Regions .......................................................................... 315
Using Virtual Topology to Handle Fillets in MultiZone Problems ............................................... 321
MultiZone Support for Inflation ..................................................................................................... 322
MultiZone Limitations and Hints ................................................................................................... 324
Assembly Meshing .............................................................................................................................. 325
The Assembly Meshing Process ..................................................................................................... 326
The Assembly Meshing Workflow .................................................................................................. 329
Setting Prerequisites ............................................................................................................... 331
Selecting an Assembly Mesh Method ...................................................................................... 332
Changing Fluid/Solid Material Property Settings ...................................................................... 336
Defining Virtual Bodies ........................................................................................................... 337
Defining Mesh Groups ............................................................................................................ 345
Setting Global Assembly Meshing Options .............................................................................. 346
Defining Sharp Angle Controls ................................................................................................ 347
Setting Sizing Options ............................................................................................................ 347
Finding Thin Sections .............................................................................................................. 349
Finding Contacts .................................................................................................................... 351
Generating the Mesh .............................................................................................................. 353
Applying Contact Sizing .......................................................................................................... 355
Setting Global Inflation Controls ............................................................................................. 356
Generating the Inflation Mesh ................................................................................................. 357
Applying Local (Scoped) Inflation Controls and Regenerating the Inflation Mesh ...................... 358
Exporting the Mesh ................................................................................................................ 360
Selective Meshing ............................................................................................................................... 361
Inflation Controls ................................................................................................................................ 370
Mesh Refinement ............................................................................................................................... 378
Mixed Order Meshing ......................................................................................................................... 378
Contact Meshing ................................................................................................................................ 378
Winding Body Meshing ....................................................................................................................... 378
Wire Body Meshing ............................................................................................................................. 379
Pyramid Transitions ............................................................................................................................. 379
Match Meshing and Symmetry ............................................................................................................ 379
Rigid Body Meshing ............................................................................................................................ 380
Thin Solid Meshing ............................................................................................................................. 383
CAD Instance Meshing ........................................................................................................................ 383
Meshing and Hard Entities .................................................................................................................. 384
Baffle Meshing .................................................................................................................................... 386
Parallel Part Meshing .......................................................................................................................... 388
Mesh Control Interaction Tables ............................................................................................................. 391

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Interactions Between Mesh Methods ................................................................................................... 391

Interactions Between Mesh Methods and Mesh Controls ..................................................................... 394
Miscellaneous Tools ................................................................................................................................ 397
Generation of Contact Elements .......................................................................................................... 397
Renaming Mesh Control Tools ............................................................................................................. 398
Mesh Numbering ................................................................................................................................ 398
Mesh Editing ...................................................................................................................................... 398
Inserting a Mesh Edit Object ......................................................................................................... 399
Mesh Connections ........................................................................................................................ 399
Contact Matches ........................................................................................................................... 410
Considerations for Contact Matches ........................................................................................ 410
How Mesh Size Affects Contact Matches .................................................................................. 411
How Tolerances Affect Contact Matches .................................................................................. 411
Applying Contact Matches ...................................................................................................... 414
Displaying Multiple Views of Contact Matches ......................................................................... 418
Troubleshooting Failed Contact Matches ................................................................................. 419
Node Merge ................................................................................................................................. 421
Node Move ................................................................................................................................... 425
Common Display Features .................................................................................................................. 429
Hiding or Suppressing Bodies ....................................................................................................... 429
Hiding or Showing Faces ............................................................................................................... 430
Creating Section Planes ................................................................................................................ 430
Ease of Use Features ............................................................................................................................... 431
Updating the Mesh Cell State .............................................................................................................. 431
Generating Mesh ................................................................................................................................ 432
Previewing Surface Mesh .................................................................................................................... 435
Exporting a Previewed Surface Mesh in Fluent Format ................................................................... 436
Previewing Source and Target Mesh .................................................................................................... 437
Previewing Inflation ............................................................................................................................ 437
Exporting a Previewed Inflation Mesh in Fluent Format .................................................................. 439
Showing Program Controlled Inflation Surfaces ................................................................................... 439
Showing Sweepable Bodies ................................................................................................................ 440
Showing Problematic Geometry .......................................................................................................... 440
Show Problematic Location ................................................................................................................. 440
Showing Elements that Do Not Meet the Target Metric ........................................................................ 441
Showing Removable Loops ................................................................................................................. 441
Inspecting Large Meshes Using Named Selections ............................................................................... 441
Generating Multiple Mesh Controls from a Template ........................................................................... 442
Clearing Generated Data ..................................................................................................................... 442
Showing Missing Tessellations ............................................................................................................. 443
Showing Mappable Faces .................................................................................................................... 444
Grouping Mesh Objects By Type .......................................................................................................... 444
Virtual Topology ..................................................................................................................................... 445
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 445
Creating and Managing Virtual Cells .................................................................................................... 446
Creating and Managing Virtual Split Edges .......................................................................................... 460
Creating and Managing Virtual Split Faces ........................................................................................... 464
Creating and Managing Virtual Hard Vertices ....................................................................................... 467
Common Virtual Topology Operations ................................................................................................. 467
Common Virtual Topology Features ..................................................................................................... 471
Troubleshooting ..................................................................................................................................... 477
Index ........................................................................................................................................................ 497

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List of Figures
1. Baffle Model Constructed in SpaceClaim .................................................................................................... 5
2. Solid/Skin Model With Coincident Faces ..................................................................................................... 6
3. Meshing Application Interface ................................................................................................................. 18
4. Boundary Zone Type and Continuum Zone Type Specifications in ANSYS Fluent ....................................... 28
5. Multibody Part Containing All Fluid Bodies in the DesignModeler Application .......................................... 36
6. Named Selections Defined in Meshing Application .................................................................................. 37
7. Boundary Zone Names and Types Transferred to ANSYS Fluent ................................................................. 38
8. Continuum Zone Names and Types Transferred to ANSYS Fluent .............................................................. 39
9. Multibody Part Containing Mix of Solid and Fluid Bodies in the DesignModeler Application ...................... 40
10. Multibody Part Being Edited in the Meshing Application ........................................................................ 41
11. Changing the Fluid/Solid Material Property of a Body ............................................................................. 42
12. Continuum Zone Names and Types Transferred to ANSYS Fluent ............................................................. 43
13. Meshed Model (Four Separate Workbench Parts) Ready for Export to ANSYS ICEM CFD ........................... 47
14. Opening the .prj File (Four Separate Workbench Parts) in ANSYS ICEM CFD ............................................. 48
15. Meshed Model (One Multibody Workbench Part) Ready for Export to ANSYS ICEM CFD ........................... 49
16. Opening the .prj File (One Multibody Workbench Part) in ANSYS ICEM CFD ............................................. 50
17. Meshed Model (with Named Selections) Ready for Export to ANSYS ICEM CFD ........................................ 51
18. Fluid1_Fluid2 Named Selection .............................................................................................................. 51
19. InterfaceSolidFluid2 Named Selection .................................................................................................... 52
20. SharedEdge Named Selection ................................................................................................................ 52
21. SharedVertices Named Selection ............................................................................................................ 53
22. Opening the .prj File (with Named Selections) in ANSYS ICEM CFD .......................................................... 54
23. Part, Body, and Named Selection Names in the Meshing Application ....................................................... 56
24. Objects/Zone Names Transferred to ANSYS Fluent Meshing .................................................................... 56
25. First Contact Region: One Contact and One Target .................................................................................. 60
26. Second Contact Region: One Contact, Two Targets .................................................................................. 60
27. Third Contact Region: One Contact, Two Targets ..................................................................................... 61
28. Fourth Contact Region: One Contact, Two Targets ................................................................................... 61
29. Geometry with Cyclic Redundancies ...................................................................................................... 63
30. Proximity Sizing Limitation .................................................................................................................... 83
31. Proximity Size Function Sources = Edges ................................................................................................ 91
32. Proximity Size Function Sources = Faces ................................................................................................. 91
33. Proximity Size Function Sources = Faces and Edges ................................................................................ 92
34. Washers Generated Around Two Holes ................................................................................................... 93
35. Washer Element Nodes Not Moved ........................................................................................................ 94
36. Washer Element Nodes Moved ............................................................................................................... 95
37. Mesh Metrics Bar Graph ....................................................................................................................... 103
38. Geometry View After Selecting an Individual Bar .................................................................................. 104
39. Clicking and Holding on an Individual Bar ............................................................................................ 105
40. Bar Graph Controls Page ...................................................................................................................... 106
41. Triangle Aspect Ratio Calculation ......................................................................................................... 108
42. Aspect Ratios for Triangles ................................................................................................................... 109
43. Quadrilateral Aspect Ratio Calculation .................................................................................................. 109
44. Aspect Ratios for Quadrilaterals ............................................................................................................ 109
45. Jacobian Ratio (MAPDL) ....................................................................................................................... 112
46. Jacobian Ratio (Corner Nodes) ............................................................................................................. 113
47. Jacobian Ratio (Gauss Points) ............................................................................................................... 114
48. Shell Average Normal Calculation ......................................................................................................... 115
49. Shell Element Projected onto a Plane ................................................................................................... 115
50. Quadrilateral Shell Having Warping Factor ............................................................................................ 116

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51. Warping Factor for Bricks ..................................................................................................................... 116

52. Parallel Deviation Unit Vectors .............................................................................................................. 117
53. Parallel Deviations for Quadrilaterals .................................................................................................... 117
54. Maximum Corner Angles for Triangles .................................................................................................. 117
55. Maximum Corner Angles for Quadrilaterals .......................................................................................... 118
56. Ideal and Skewed Triangles and Quadrilaterals ..................................................................................... 118
57. Vectors Used to Compute Orthogonal Quality for a Cell ........................................................................ 120
58. Vectors Used to Compute Orthogonal Quality for a Face ....................................................................... 122
59. Inflation into Volume Mesh Methods .................................................................................................... 124
60. Last Aspect Ratio Option ...................................................................................................................... 129
61. Different Numbers of Layers Are Respected .......................................................................................... 135
62. Portion of Project Tree .......................................................................................................................... 135
63. Different Numbers of Layers Are Not Respected ................................................................................... 135
64. Layer Compression vs. Stair Stepping Option (Full Mesh View) ............................................................... 138
65. Layer Compression vs. Stair Stepping Option (Detail View) .................................................................... 139
66. Maximum Angle = 140 ......................................................................................................................... 140
67. Maximum Angle = 180 ......................................................................................................................... 141
68. Fillet Ratio = 0.0 ................................................................................................................................... 141
69. Fillet Ratio = 0.5 ................................................................................................................................... 141
70. Fillet Ratio = 1.0 ................................................................................................................................... 142
71. Triangle Surface Mesher = Program Controlled ..................................................................................... 157
72. Triangle Surface Mesher = Advancing Front .......................................................................................... 158
73. Protecting Topology ............................................................................................................................ 160
74. Locations of Pinch Controls .................................................................................................................. 163
75. Mesh Generated Without Pinch Controls .............................................................................................. 163
76. Mesh Generated With Pinch Controls ................................................................................................... 164
77. Automatic Pinch Control for Edges on Left; Manual Pinch Control Required for Edges on Right .............. 165
78. Mesh Generated with Automatic Pinch Control and Manual Pinch Control on Similar Geometry ............ 166
79. Pinch Not Recommended for Models with Multiple Complications ....................................................... 170
80. Mixed Order Meshing of a Multibody Part ............................................................................................ 176
81. Mixed Order Elements ......................................................................................................................... 177
82. Geometry Input to Patch Independent Tetra Mesher ............................................................................. 179
83. Full Tetrahedron Enclosing the Geometry ............................................................................................. 179
84. Full Tetrahedron Enclosing the Geometry in Wire Frame Mode .............................................................. 180
85. Cross-Section of the Tetrahedron ......................................................................................................... 180
86. Mesh After Capture of Surfaces and Separation of Useful Volume .......................................................... 181
87. Final Mesh Before Smoothing .............................................................................................................. 181
88. Final Mesh After Smoothing ................................................................................................................. 182
89. Example (a) Showing Base Geometry ................................................................................................... 190
90. Example (b) Min Size Limit (Described Below) Set to 1 .......................................................................... 191
91. Example (c) Min Size Limit (Described Below) Set to 0.5 ........................................................................ 191
92. Example (d) Defeature Size Set to 1 ...................................................................................................... 192
93. Example (e) Defeature Size Set to 1 and Element Order Set to Linear ..................................................... 192
94. Example (f ) Defeature Size Set to 1 and Min Size Limit Set to 0.5 ........................................................... 193
95. Example (a) Showing Base Geometry ................................................................................................... 196
96. Example (b) Default Patch Independent Tetrahedron Mesher ................................................................ 197
97. Example (c) Patch Independent Tetrahedron Mesher with Min Size Limit Set to Capture Curvature ........ 197
98. Effect of Smooth Transition Setting ...................................................................................................... 198
99. Element Edge Lengths Smaller Than Specified Element Size .................................................................. 199
100. Sweep Method Would Require Slicing to Obtain Pure Hex Mesh .......................................................... 205
101. MultiZone Generates Pure Hex Mesh without Slicing .......................................................................... 206
102. Free Mesh Type = Tetra ....................................................................................................................... 208

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103. Free Mesh Type = Tetra/Pyramid ......................................................................................................... 209

104. Free Mesh Type = Hexa Dominant ...................................................................................................... 210
105. Free Mesh Type = Hexa Core ............................................................................................................... 211
106. Source Face Selection for MultiZone ................................................................................................... 212
107. Layered Tetrahedrons Mesh ............................................................................................................... 218
108. Sweeping a Closed Torus .................................................................................................................... 226
109. Resulting Mesh for Closed Torus ......................................................................................................... 226
110. Inside Corner Vertex ........................................................................................................................... 243
111. Face Vertex Types ............................................................................................................................... 245
112. Seven-sided Planar Face ..................................................................................................................... 246
113. Example Face Mesh—Side Inside Corner Vertex .................................................................................. 247
114. Example Face Mesh—Corner Inside Corner Vertex .............................................................................. 247
115. Mesh Copy Scope .............................................................................................................................. 254
116. Generated Mesh ................................................................................................................................ 254
117. Match Controls Used with Thin Sweeping ........................................................................................... 257
118. Coordinate Systems for Arbitrary Mesh Matching ............................................................................... 260
119. Matched Mesh ................................................................................................................................... 260
120. Snap to Boundary Set to Yes ............................................................................................................... 263
121. Snap to Boundary Set to No ............................................................................................................... 263
122. Axis Sweep Representation ................................................................................................................ 285
123. Edge Only Sweep Path ....................................................................................................................... 285
124. Edge Plus Closed Surface Sweep Path ................................................................................................. 285
125. Example (a) Showing Invalid Closed Cylindrical Face as Source Face .................................................... 287
126. Example (b) Valid Open Cylindrical Face as Source Face ....................................................................... 287
127. Example (c) Multiple Connected Side Faces ........................................................................................ 288
128. Axial Sweep Model ............................................................................................................................ 288
129. Axial Sweep Model: Face Meshing Control .......................................................................................... 289
130. Axial Sweep Model: Hard Edge Sizing Control ..................................................................................... 290
131. Axial Sweep Model: Meshed ............................................................................................................... 290
132. Example (a) N Source to 1 Target or 1 Target to N Source Topology ...................................................... 292
133. Example (b) N Source to N Target Topology ........................................................................................ 293
134. Example (c) 1 Source to N Target Mesh ............................................................................................... 293
135. Example (d) N Source to 1 Target Mesh ............................................................................................... 294
136. Example (e) N Source to N Target Mesh ............................................................................................... 294
137. Using Virtual Topology to Create Single Edge Between Source/Target Faces ........................................ 295
138. Example (a) Mapped Face Control Applied to Target Is Ignored ........................................................... 295
139. Example (b) Mapped Face Control Applied to Source Is Respected ...................................................... 296
140.Thin Solid Sweeper Used to Mesh a Single Body Part ........................................................................... 297
141. Thin Solid Sweeper Used to Mesh a Single Body Part: Detail ................................................................ 297
142. Thin Solid Sweeper Used to Mesh a Multibody Part ............................................................................. 298
143. Thin Solid Sweeper and Laminated Composite Models ....................................................................... 299
144. Ambiguous Source Face Definition for Laminated Composite Model ................................................... 300
145. Recommended Source Face Definition for Laminated Composite Model ............................................. 301
146. Thin Solid Sweeper Limitation ............................................................................................................ 302
147. Adding Face Projections (Splits) in the DesignModeler Application ..................................................... 302
148. Defining Source Faces when Face Splits Are Present ............................................................................ 303
149. Three Plates Model Meshed with Thin Solid Sweeper .......................................................................... 303
150. Blocking Algorithm—Sample Geometry ............................................................................................. 304
151. Blocking Algorithm—Step 1: 2D Blocking ........................................................................................... 305
152. Blocking Algorithm—Step 2: 3D Blocking ........................................................................................... 305
153. Blocking Algorithm—Step 3: Inflation ................................................................................................. 306
154. Classifying the Problem: Sources ........................................................................................................ 307

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155. Classifying the Problem: Handling of Paths and Imprints ..................................................................... 307
156. Collective Source Faces ...................................................................................................................... 308
157. Classifying the Problem: Sweep Path .................................................................................................. 308
158. Valve Body: Traditional Approach ....................................................................................................... 309
159. Valve Body: Automatic Source Faces with MultiZone ........................................................................... 309
160. Source Imprinting Classifications: Internal Loops ................................................................................. 311
161. Source Imprinting Classifications: Boundary Loops ............................................................................. 311
162. Source Imprinting Classifications: Multiple Internal Loops ................................................................... 312
163. Source Imprinting Classifications: Multiple Connected Internal Loops View 1 ....................................... 312
164. Source Imprinting Classifications: Multiple Connected Internal Loops View 2 ....................................... 313
165. Source Imprinting Classifications: Parallel Loops ................................................................................. 313
166. Source Imprinting Classifications: Intersecting Loops View 1 ............................................................... 314
167. Source Imprinting Classifications: Intersecting Loops View 2 ............................................................... 314
168. Simple Cutout Case ............................................................................................................................ 315
169. Cutouts at Multiple Levels .................................................................................................................. 316
170. Intersections Between Levels and Sides .............................................................................................. 316
171. Meshed Model ................................................................................................................................... 317
172. Vertices in a Split Circle ...................................................................................................................... 317
173. 360 ˚ Cutout ...................................................................................................................................... 318
174. Internal Loops along Side Faces of the Sweep Path ............................................................................. 319
175. Map Face Control Assigned to Side Faces ............................................................................................ 319
176. Connecting Faces Assigned as Source Faces ....................................................................................... 320
177. Using Inflation on Cylindrical Side Faces ............................................................................................. 320
178. Using Inflation on Cylindrical Side Faces ............................................................................................ 321
179. Fillets and MultiZone ......................................................................................................................... 321
180. Fillets and Inflation ............................................................................................................................ 322
181. Fillets as Side Faces ............................................................................................................................ 322
182. Sphere of Influence on Face that Doesn't Intersect Edges .................................................................... 325
183. Mesh After Refinement ...................................................................................................................... 327
184. Mesh After Projection ........................................................................................................................ 327
185. Cells Separated After Decomposition ................................................................................................. 328
186. CutCell Mesh After Boundary Recovery ............................................................................................... 329
187. Solid Bodies Dividing a Fluid Body ...................................................................................................... 342
188. Virtual Body Defined to Separate Fluid Region .................................................................................... 343
189. Two Boxes with Sizing on One Face .................................................................................................... 363
190. Mesh Generated for Entire Part ........................................................................................................... 363
191. Selective Meshing: Left Body First ....................................................................................................... 364
192. Selective Meshing: Right Body First .................................................................................................... 364
193. Mesh Worksheet ................................................................................................................................ 366
194. Mesh Worksheet Step Deactivation .................................................................................................... 369
195. Sweep Method With Inflation: Hex Fill ................................................................................................. 372
196. Sweep Method With Inflation: Wedge Fill ............................................................................................ 372
197. Swept Body Shares Source/Target Face With Tet Body ......................................................................... 375
198. Defining Inflation for a Swept Body Sharing Source/Target Face With Tet Body .................................... 376
199. Detail of Proper Connections on the Common Interface ..................................................................... 376
200. Tet Body Surrounds Swept Body ......................................................................................................... 377
201. Detail of Well-aligned Layers Between the Swept and Tet Regions ....................................................... 378
202. 2D Rigid Body Contact Meshing ......................................................................................................... 381
203. Error Handling for Instances ............................................................................................................... 384
204. Cylinder Containing Baffles ................................................................................................................ 387
205. Section Cut Showing Baffle Meshing .................................................................................................. 387
206. Detail of Inflation on Baffles ............................................................................................................... 388

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 Meshing User's Guide

207. Setting the Contact Match Tolerance .................................................................................................. 412

208. Contact Match with Gaps Between "Master" and "Slave" Bodies .......................................................... 413
209. Viewing the "Master" and "Slave" Bodies in Auxiliary Windows ............................................................ 418
210. Previewed Inflation Mesh ................................................................................................................... 438
211. Section Plane View of Previewed Inflation Mesh ................................................................................. 439
212. Mesh Objects Grouped By Type .......................................................................................................... 444
213. Merge Face Edges Off ........................................................................................................................ 448
214. Merge Face Edges On ......................................................................................................................... 448
215. Single Face Virtual Cell Limitations ..................................................................................................... 450
216. Formation of Virtual Faces .................................................................................................................. 451
217. Virtual Faces After Operation .............................................................................................................. 451
218. Formation of Virtual Edges ................................................................................................................. 452
219. Gauss Curvature Angle ....................................................................................................................... 453
220. Curvature Angle at 25, 60, and 120 degrees ......................................................................................... 453
221. Feature Angle .................................................................................................................................... 454
222. Feature Angle at 20, 40, and 80 Degrees .............................................................................................. 454
223. Aspect Ratio at 0.2, 0.5, and 0.9 ........................................................................................................... 454
224. Contact Angle at 270, 330, and 355 degrees ........................................................................................ 455
225. Edge Angle at 80, 100, and 150 degrees ............................................................................................. 455
226. Shared Boundary Ratio at 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 ........................................................................................... 455
227. Small Edges Between Faces ................................................................................................................ 456
228. Small Edges Removed ........................................................................................................................ 457
229. Small Edges Attached to the Same Faces ............................................................................................ 457
230. Small Edge Repair with Edge Merge ................................................................................................... 457
231. Sliver Face ......................................................................................................................................... 458
232. Sliver Repair ....................................................................................................................................... 458
233. Small Face ......................................................................................................................................... 459
234. Small Face Repair ............................................................................................................................... 459
235. Original Virtual Split Edge with Dependent Virtual Split Edge .............................................................. 462
236. Unlocked Dependent Splits ................................................................................................................ 463
237. Locked Dependent Splits ................................................................................................................... 463
238. Overridden Locked Dependent Splits ................................................................................................. 463
239. Types of Faces Requiring Two Virtual Split Face Operations ................................................................. 465
240. Splits Requiring a Series of Virtual Split Face Operations ...................................................................... 466
241. Virtual Topology Properties Dialog: Example 1 .................................................................................... 473
242. Virtual Topology Properties Dialog: Example 2 .................................................................................... 473
243. Virtual Topology Properties Dialog: Example 3 .................................................................................... 474
244. Virtual Topology Properties Dialog: Example 4 .................................................................................... 474
245. Virtual Topology Properties Dialog: Example 5 .................................................................................... 475
246. Obsolete Mesh ................................................................................................................................... 479
247. Failed Mesh ....................................................................................................................................... 479
248. Example with Missing Face ................................................................................................................. 483
249. Problematic Topology Highlighted During Meshing ............................................................................ 484
250. Failed Surface Mesh Due to Protected Topology ................................................................................. 484
251. Mesh Respecti