.stl file shell to solid part
 

Hello,
I have an .stl file that contains a shell that I want to run using Ansys CFX. I don't know if it is possible to get ICEM to create a solid mesh through the empty core of the shell or if there is a way to make the .stl file solid in ICEM? I can get the shell mesh to import into Ansys but once this is done I can't set up up the boundary conditions due to it being a shell and what appears to be a lack of specified sections. Does anyone have any pointers for this?

Hi!

You can import the stl file as both mesh and geometry.
File => import Geometry => STL
File => import Mesh => STL

So if you import it as geometry, then you have a solid surface and you can generate mesh for it.

I have done that, but that just imports the shell geometry and I need a solid geometry.

Hi!

Why you need a solid geometry. You need just shell geometry for meshing. ICEM will consider solid part (Body) out of the shells when you generate the mesh.

Because I need that area inside the shell to be considered a solid body and meshed unless there is another way to do this to set up fluid flow running through in the shell.

Thanks,
Emily Imdieke

ICEM is surface modeller. To get the volume meshing you need material points.

Fill it
 

If you're in the Design Modeller, do the following:

1) Make sure there are no gaps (use Surface Patch if you must)
2) Use Tools/Fill:
- Extraction Type: By Caps
- Target Bodies: Selected Bodies
- Bodies: 1 (select your patch)
- don't preserve capping bodies nor solids
3) Press "Generate"

the same problem
 

I have also the same problem. I have STL surface mesh from MRI with one input and one output. The mesh is only on the surface. I read the Aorta example and tried to add two inlet and outlet parts, but to no avail. I cannot select inlet and outlet parts because there is actually no surface there, they are only two holes!
would you please help me how to get the volumetric mesh out of this surface and assign BCs on inlet and outlet?
Thanks
Ali

For my geometry I ended up having to add points around the outlet and inlet, turn these into curves, and then create surfaces out of these curves in order to create the volumetric mesh.

I hope that helps.

Dear Emily,
Thank you for your message. Actually my input and output are complex and I need too many points to get a good curve and so surface, and putting points on the edge manually is a very hard job. Do you know any other alternative way?
Cheers

I'd love to help you, Ali. But it would be good to see the geometry itself. Can you post a picture? Are you using DesignModeler to work with the geometry?

One idea: maybe you could create surfaces that cover up the inlet and outlet. Then boolean it (cut the outsides) and fill the resulting geometry to create a fluid zone.

Dear Serzh,
Thank you so much for your message and help. Please see the photos. Yes I need to fill the geometry to get the fluid zone and for it I need to first close the geometry.
Please take a look at the photos.
I am using ICEM CFD not the DesignModeler.

I'm not very familiar with ICEM, since I never used scanned data for cfd. DM was enough for simple model generation.

But from what I tried out in the past hour in ICEM, I believe you could try to use "Geometry/Create faceted/Faceted cleanup/Close faceted holes". Select the inlet or outlet boundary by click-drag (box select). This should close it.

Thank you very much Serzh. It just works and I closed the inlet and outlet. But how to fill the geometry for the fluid zone?
Thanks in advance
Ali

I assumed that you, Serzh, previously post about how to fill the shell in DM. It would be great if I can export my closed surface in ICEM and then import it in DM, is it possible? if yes, how?
Thanks

Emily,
Would you please let me know how to fill the shell after closing it?
Best

Hello Asal,

I have an STL file and I want to mesh it. I imported the STL file as a geometry in ICEM, but the domain and geometry lines cannot be selected, as if they are locked. what should I do ?

Here are a few steps that may help you resolve the problem:

1. **Check Your Import**: First, make sure you've correctly imported the STL file. In ICEM, you import STL files through the File -> Import Mesh -> STL route. Choose your file and import it. The STL file should then appear as a part. If it doesn't, there may be an issue with the STL file itself.

2. **Create a Part**: Once the STL file is imported, it appears in the "Parts" section of the ICEM interface. If it isn't already, you should place it in a part. You can create a new part using the "Create/Modify Part" menu. Once you've created a part, you can associate the geometry with the part.

3. **Enable Selection**: If you're unable to select the geometry or domain, make sure that you've enabled the correct selection mode. In the toolbar at the top of the ICEM interface, there's a drop-down menu that allows you to select what type of entity you want to select (vertices, edges, faces, bodies, etc.). Make sure you've selected the correct type.

4. **Geometry Repair and Preparation**: If the geometry is imported successfully but you're still having issues with meshing, there might be some geometry issues. Use ICEM's geometry repair tools (under Edit Geometry) to find and fix any problems. Check for holes, overlapping faces, or disconnected vertices and repair them.

5. **Meshing**: After repairing and preparing the geometry, you should be able to mesh it. You can use the "Create Mesh" menu for this. Make sure you've selected the correct mesh type and size for your application.

Remember that STL files contain triangle meshes that define the surface of a 3D object. Depending on the quality of the STL file, you may encounter issues with mesh generation. If the above steps don't resolve the problem, you may need to return to your original 3D modeling software and ensure the quality of the STL file export.

Thank you serzh for your explanation.
I imported the STL file into ICEM from command ( File -> Import Mesh -> STL) . On the left side software, there is a part. The picture below is the STL file that I have imported into ICEM.

This is a 3D airfoil that I'm going to draw the air domain around and eventually create a structure mesh for it.
Can you tell me what to do?
Thankyou,
Regargs.