Controlling the mesh on the source and wall faces in a swept mesh through a volume

When you use the 3D Swept Mesh command with either the Multi Body-Infer Target or Until Target type, the software sweeps the mesh on the source face, through the volume, to the target face. The mesh on the source face controls the mesh through the solid body. Consequently, you should ensure that the mesh on the source face is regular (as structured as possible) and contains high quality elements. There are two ways to control the mesh on the source face:

• You can use the 2D Mapped Mesh command to first create a structured seed mesh on the source face. For more information, see 2D mapped meshing.

• You can use the options in the 3D Swept Mesh dialog box to control the mesh on the source face. These options are described below.

Using the Attempt Free Mapped Mesh and Attempt Quad Only options

In the 3D Swept Mesh dialog box, you can use the Attempt Free Mapped Mesh and Attempt Quad Only options to control the mesh on the source face.

• Attempt Free Mapped Meshing lets you create a mapped-like mesh within the context of a free mesh. See Understanding free mapped meshes for more information.

• Attempt Quad Only lets you control whether the software includes any triangular elements in the mesh on the source face. Having an all quadrilateral mesh on the source face ensures that the swept mesh through the volume will not contain any wedge elements.

If you select Attempt Free Mapped Meshing and you also choose either On - Zero Triangles or On - Single Triangle from the Attempt Quad Only list, the software proceeds through the options sequentially. First, it tries to generate a free mapped mesh. If that mesh fails, then it tries to create a mesh with only quadrilateral elements. The software retains the first successful mesh it generates.

If the software cannot successfully generate either a quadrilateral only mesh or a free mapped mesh, it uses the Paver meshing method to generate a free mesh on the source face. See Understanding the 2D meshing methods for more information.

The following example shows a hexahedral mesh generated with the Attempt Free Mapped Mesh check box selected and the Attempt Quad Only option set to Off. Notice that the mesh on the source face contains several triangular elements.

This example shows a hexahedral mesh on the same part generated with the Attempt Free Mapped Mesh check box cleared and the Attempt Quad Only option set to On – Zero Triangles.

Using edge mapping in 3D swept meshes

Use the Edge Mapping option in the 3D Swept Mesh dialog box to have the software project any vertices along the boundaries of the source face or faces to the target face. This allows you to control the appearance of the mesh along the wall faces.

Below, (A) shows the mesh on the wall faces when the Edge Mapping check box is cleared. (B) shows the mesh on the mesh on the wall faces with the Edge Mapping check box selected. Notice that the mesh in (B) appears more regular and even when the software projects the key vertices from the edges of the source face to the edges of the target face.

Controlling the number of layers through the mesh

Use the Use Layers option in the 3D Swept Mesh dialog box to control the number of layers that the software generates between a source face and a target face. This also allows you to control the size of the elements that the software sweeps through the volume.

In the graphic below, the red arrows indicate the sweep direction from the source face on the top of the volume to the target face on the bottom of the volume. Both meshes shown were generated with the new Use Layers option selected. In (1), the specified Number of Layers is 5, while in (2), the specified Number of Layers is 10.

Using target face smoothing

You can use the Smooth Nodes option to control whether the software smooths the nodes in the mesh on the target face. If you select the Smooth Nodes check box, the software makes minor modifications to the position of the nodes on the target face to achieve a more regular mesh. However, the resulting mesh on the target face will not exactly match the mesh on the source face.

The following graphic shows the effect of the Smooth Nodes option on the target face of a hexahedral mesh.

• (A) shows the mesh on the source face. Notice the distribution of elements in the highlighted region.

• (B) shows the mesh on the target face when the Smooth Nodes option is cleared. Here, the software propagates the mesh from the source to the target with no refinement on the target face. Notice that the elements in the highlighted area follow the same pattern as the elements on the source face.

• (C) shows the mesh on the target face when the Smooth Nodes option is selected. Here, the software refines the mesh on the target face. Notice that the elements in the highlighted area do not follow the same pattern as the elements on the source face. However, the mesh in the highlighted region now appears more regular

How do I

Create a 3D swept mesh through a body (Multi Body-Infer Target and Until Target)

Learn more

Automatically sweeping a mesh from a source face

Multi Body-Infer Target and Until Target meshes

Criteria for sweepable bodies

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Controlling the mesh on the source and wall faces in a swept mesh through a volume, Simcenter 3D 2021.1 Series

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