Understanding curvature-based size variation

Although the Element Size option lets you define an overall element length for a mesh, you can decrease that length to better represent regions of higher surface or edge curvature. Use the Curvature Based Size Variation option in the 2D Mesh and 3D Tetrahedral Mesh dialog boxes to vary the length of elements according to the surface and edge curvature. For 3D meshes, the Curvature Based Size Variation option varies the length of elements in the surface mesh that the software uses to generate the solid mesh through the body.

Controlling the curvature-based size variation

In the 2D Mesh and 3D Tetrahedral Mesh dialog boxes, the Curvature Based Size Variation options let you specify a percentage that controls the size of the smallest element that the software can create in regions of curvature:

• If you set the slider to 0, the software uses the overall element length throughout the model regardless of the curvature.

• If you set the slider to 50%, the software varies the element length between 50% and 100% of the overall element size based on the surface curvature.

• If you set the slider to 100%, the software varies the element length between 1% and 100% of the overall element size. The smallest allowed element size in areas of high curvature is 0.01 of the specified Element Size.

The Curvature Threshold (Read Only) box displays the smallest element size based on the overall Element Size and the setting of the Curvature Based Size Variation slider. This value decreases, for example, as the amount of surface curvature based variation increases.

This graphic shows how varying the length of elements in regions of curvature affects the mesh.

Low surface curvature variation	High surface curvature variation

The software tries to always honor the Curvature Based Size Variation slider setting. However:

• If neighboring surfaces or edges are constrained by existing meshes, surface dependency definitions, or mesh mating conditions, the software may ignore the Curvature Based Size Variation slider setting.

• If you select the Target Minimum Element Length check box, the software does not create any elements smaller than the specified Small Feature Tolerance value (Model Cleanup Options group).Note: The Target Minimum Element Length option is only available when you are creating a mesh of quadrilateral elements and the Attempt Quad Only list is set to Off - Allow Triangles.

Curvature based size variation and Mesh Controls

If you use the Curvature Based Size Variation slider to vary the element length with the curvature, any element size options that you specify with the Mesh Control command may override the curvature variation value.

• If you use the Mesh Control command to define local element lengths, any local element lengths you have defined take precedence when the software generates the mesh.

• If you use the Fillet or Cylinder types of Mesh Control, the software couples the surface curvature effects with the specified fillet or cylinder settings. The option that creates the elements with the shortest length in the curved areas takes precedence.

Learn more

Setting element size

Element size for acoustic analysis

Understanding the Automatic Element Size calculation

Understanding the Snap Tolerance value

Show Tiny Edges

Multi-block decomposition in meshing

Controlling the proximity of nodes to the CAD Geometry

Understanding the mesh update process

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Understanding curvature-based size variation, Simcenter 3D 2021.1 Series

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