Assigning Meshing Techniques to 2D Mesh Domains

In addition to the global parameters of a surface mesh, you can assign one or more 2D mesh domains with a specific mesh technique.

Each time you select a domain, you can validate or cancel the selection. When you confirm the selected area—by clicking for manual selection or by selecting OK in the Confirmation window for trap selection—the new mesh is generated. All domains are remeshed at once.

This task shows you how to:

Before you begin: Open the Surface Mesher.
See Also
Creating and Editing Surface Meshes
About Mesh Context Toolbars

Assign the Frontal Quadrangle Technique

You can assign the frontal quadrangle mesh to a selection of domains.

  1. From the Edit section of the action bar, click Frontal Quadrangle Mesh .
  2. Select the domains you want to assign a frontal quadrangle mesh.

    You can select the domains directly from the geometry, or you can select groups from the tree.

  3. Enter a mesh size.
  4. Click OK.

The surface mesh is updated with a frontal quadrangle mesh on the selected domains.

Assign the Frontal Triangle Technique

You can assign the frontal triangle mesh to a selection of domains.

  1. From the Edit section of the action bar, click Frontal Triangle Mesh .
  2. Select the domains you want to assign a frontal triangle mesh.

    You can select the domains directly from the geometry or you can select groups from the tree.

  3. Enter a mesh size.
  4. Click OK.

The surface mesh is updated with a frontal triangle mesh on the selected domains.

Assign the Mapped Mesh Technique

You can assign the mapped mesh to a selection of domains. The mapped method generates a mesh using quadrangle elements only.

  1. From the Edit section of the action bar, click Mapped Mesh .
  2. Select the domains you want to assign a mapped mesh.

    You can select domains with a rectangular, cylinder, or ring topology. For domains with a cylinder or ring topology, corners are imposed and not displayed; you cannot modify them.

    For domains with a rectangular topology, the C0, C1, C2, and C3 symbols are displayed to represent the four corners of the domain. This is true even if the selected domain has more than four corners.

    You can change the corner positions to enhance the mesh quality.

  3. To change the position of a corner, select the corner you want to change, and select another vertex.
  4. Enter a mesh size.
  5. To generate triangle elements, select the Split quadrangles check box.
    The quadrangle elements are split to create triangle elements.
  6. Click OK.

The surface mesh is updated with a mapped mesh on the selected domains.

Assign the Mapped Free Mesh Technique

You can assign the mapped free mesh to a selection of domains. The mapped free mesh method generates a mesh using both quadrangle and triangle elements.

  1. From the Edit section of the action bar, click Mapped Free Mesh .
  2. Select the domains you want to assign a mapped free mesh.

    You can select domains with a rectangular, triangular, cylinder, or ring topology. For domains with a cylinder or ring topology, corners are imposed and not displayed; you cannot modify them.

    For domains with a rectangular or triangular topology, symbols appear on the selected domain to represent the corners of the domain (C0, C1, C2, and C3 for rectangular domains; C0, C1, C2 for triangular domains). The corners are automatically positioned, but you can change their positions to enhance the mesh quality.

  3. To change the position of a corner, select the corner you want to change, and select another vertex.
  4. Enter a mesh size.
  5. If you work with a domain with a triangular topology, select the 3-side domain check box.
  6. Click OK.

The surface mesh is updated with a mapped free mesh on the selected domains.

Assign the Minimal Mesh Technique

You can assign the minimal mesh to a selection of domains. The minimal mesh method uses the existing nodes and topology constraints; Mesh Creation does not create any internal nodes.

  1. From the Edit section of the action bar, click Minimal Mesh , and select the domain.
  2. Select the domains you want to assign a minimal mesh.
  3. If you work with a domain with a triangular topology, select the 3-side domain check box.
  4. Click OK.

The surface mesh is updated with a minimal mesh on the selected domains.

Assign the Bead Mesh Technique

You can assign the bead mesh to a selection of domains.

  1. From the Edit section of the action bar, click Bead Mesh , and select the domain.
  2. Select the domains you want to assign a bead mesh.
    At least two vertices are required. The C0 and C1 symbols appear on the selected domain:

  3. To change the position of a corner, select the corner you want to change, and select another vertex.
  4. Enter a mesh size.
  5. Click OK.

The surface mesh is updated with a bead mesh on the selected domains.

Assign the Half Bead Mesh Technique

You can assign the half bead mesh to a selection of domains.

  1. From the Edit section of the action bar, click Half Bead Mesh , and select the domain.
  2. Select the domains you want to assign a half bead mesh.
    At least three vertices are required. The C0, C1, and C2 symbols appear on the selected domain.
  3. To change the position of a corner, select the corner you want to change, and select another vertex.
  4. Enter a mesh size.
  5. Click OK.

The surface mesh is updated with a half bead mesh on the selected domains.