Optimizing Elements in a Surface Mesh

You can optimize elements to improve a localized area of the surface mesh. You can enable mesh topology changes such as splitting elements and virtual topology changes that remove constraints so that nodes can move away from the supporting geometry features.

Before you begin: Open the Surface Mesher or Tetrahedron Mesher.
See Also
Creating and Modifying Meshing Rules
  1. From the Edit section of the action bar, click Optimize Surface Elements .
    The Optimize Elements dialog box and the Select toolbox appear.
  2. Select one or more primary optimization methods.
    • Select Allow mesh topology optimization to allow the mesh topology to change.
    • Select Allow virtual topology optimization to keep the mesh but remove geometry constraints, allowing nodes to move away from geometric features.

    If you select both methods, optimization attempts to change the mesh topology first. Virtual topology is then used to remove constraints as needed and correct any remaining bad elements.

  3. Allow nodes to move away from geometry constraints by a specified amount and direction.
    1. Select one or more Maximum Nodal Deviation options:

      Option Description
      From constraints Allow nodes to move away from the associated vertices or edges while remaining within the surface boundaries.
      From geometry Allow nodes to move away from the geometry along the surface normal.
      From free edges Allow nodes to move away from free edges in the geometry.

    2. Click Initialize parameters to set the nodal deviation values based on the mesh size.

      Note: Initializing the parameters replaces any entries you made for the maximum deviation values.

    3. Review the maximum nodal deviations set by initialization, and revise them if required.
  4. Select Relax maximum deviations to allow more nodal deviation in a second optimization if the first optimization does not correct all bad elements.
  5. Select Enforce mesh specifications to preserve local mesh specifications, around a hole, for example.
  6. Choose a selection method from the Select toolbox.

    • Click (default method), to select all elements in a mesh domain.
    • Click to create a bounding box and to include only the elements that are within the box.
    • Click to create a bounding box and to include the elements that are within the box and the elements that are intersected by the box.
    • Click to select all elements from the model.
    • Click to create a group of element faces by propagation. Select element faces and specify the propagation angle in the by face angle > box. Any faces that are connected to the selected faces by an angle greater than the specified angle are included.
    • Click to select a neighborhood of elements—a group of elements that border your selected elements. For element faces, the neighborhood includes elements that share an edge with your selection; for elements, the neighborhood includes elements that share a face with your selection.
    • Click to select elements that are bad according to mesh quality settings so that you can review, edit, or repair them.

    When you confirm the selected elements, the mesh is optimized. The optimization process attempts to correct poor element shapes, remove or add element edges, and generally improve the mesh.
  7. Click OK to save your optimization settings and to close the dialog box, or click Cancel to close the dialog box without saving your changes.