Engineering Solutions

Element Cleanup

Element Cleanup

 Previous topic Next topic No expanding text in this topic  

Element Cleanup

 Previous topic Next topic JavaScript is required for expanding text JavaScript is required for the print function  

This stage in the process focuses on optimizing the quality of the elements created during each of the previous meshing stages. The panel includes two tabs: one for automated cleanup, and one for manual cleanup.

From this stage, clicking ACCEPT or Next continues to the Tetramesh panel. Clicking Prev returns to the Global Mesh stage.

Auto-Cleanup

The AutoCleanup tab includes controls to specify the minimum size that is acceptable for any given element, the maximum feature angle that will be preserved, and the Normals Angle.

tet_proc_mgr_10

Note:The nodes of features (such as ridges) will not be preserved if their angle is less than the specified minimum angle. In addition, element quality requirements may override feature angle preservation regardless of the angle specified.

automesh_mesh_featureangle30

Minimum feature angle (low value)

automesh_mesh_featureangle60

Minimum feature angle (high value)

In addition, the Normals Angle specifies the maximum allowable angle between the normals of adjacent elements. When possible, adjacent elements whose normals exceed this angle will be split into multiple smaller elements with less-extreme normal angles.

When you click the AutoCleanup button, the mesh is examined within each component individually, removing elements of poor quality and stitching the mesh together to fill the resulting gaps. Cleaning up the mesh on a per-component basis prevents mesh overlap between adjacent surfaces that belong to different components.

TM_Process_ElementCleanup_Before

Before Element Cleanup – note "sliver" elements along midline

TM_Process_ElementCleanup_After

After Element Cleanup – small / sliver elements are removed

Manual Cleanup

This tab includes a toggle to choose between finding Free edges (which are associated with only 1 surface) and T-connections (which are associated with three edges) and a button to perform the Find. In addition, another button is available to Display Normals as vectors in the graphics area.

tet_proc_mgr_11

After you find edges, you can choose to clean them using specific Tolerance value. Engineering Solutions will use this tolerance value identify nodes associated with free edges and try to stitch them, leaving nodes outside the tolerance unchanged. Click on Fix to fix free edges.

Clicking Display Normals opens the Normals panel. Completing it returns to the Manual Cleanup tab.

 

Tetrameshing

Once you have finished with mesh cleanup, and all of the relevant previous stages are complete, clicking ACCEPT or Next continues to the Tetramesh panel, where you can generate the 3D mesh from the existing surface meshes.

tet_proc_mgr_12

For instructions on using the Tetramesh panel, refer to its specific panel help.

Note:By default, all elements belonging to holes and user-defined features will be set to tetramesh as Fixed trias/quads, while the rest of the model will be meshed using the "floatable" method.

You can also click on a specific task in the Process Manager to backtrack to the appropriate panel.

See Also:

Tetramesh panel