[anand32]

Hi everyone

I am trying to mesh some tubes contained in a cuboid . The tubes are closed and hollow while the cuboid is filled with air. The trouble is that while the surfaces of the cuboid gets meshed , most of the surface of the tubes is not meshed. They get enclosed as subset named "Failed Surfaces" under Geoemetry in the display tree area.

I am using the Quick mesh algorithm, combined with all Tri Patch dependent surface mesh.

COuld you please give some advice?

[Kushal Puri]

Originally Posted by anand32

Hi everyone

I am trying to mesh some tubes contained in a cuboid . The tubes are closed and hollow while the cuboid is filled with air. The trouble is that while the surfaces of the cuboid gets meshed , most of the surface of the tubes is not meshed. They get enclosed as subset named "Failed Surfaces" under Geoemetry in the display tree area.

I am using the Quick mesh algorithm, combined with all Tri Patch dependent surface mesh.

COuld you please give some advice?

Use patch independent mesher

[kad]

For patch dependent meshing the topology of your geometry must be intact. This means curves have to be attached to surfaces and so on. There is a description for this in the manual. For building topology you can use "Build Diagnostic Topology" under "Repair Geometry". Further choose appropriate mesh sizes on surfaces and curves.

[anand32]

Thank you Kad.

I am learning ICEM right now and what I have learnt and understood about Build Topology option is written below. Could you let me know whether I am correct:

Build Topology App generally does these things:

1. It extracts curves from surfaces:
a. If the curves are not there on the edges of the surfaces , they are created.
b. If there are curves on the surface but are dormant (deleted not permanently), they are activated.
c. If there are curves on the surface that are already active, they are retained.
2. If two surfaces are separated by a distance < tolerance , then they are sort of joined and a red curve is created between them. This makes Build topology option critical for patch dependent meshing..
3. If the Filter Angles And Filter Curves option is switched on, then those points (curves) are made dormant , where two curves (surfaces) meet at an angle less than the specified angle.
4. It color codes the curves; the curves which are attached to two surfaces are red , to one surface is yellow, and to more than 2 surfaces is blue. A yellow curve after build topology means that volume meshing will most probably not work, displaying the error "there are holes in your geometry".
Filter Points and Filter Curves option is switched on only in the case when we need to create/extract curves. If the aim is to only check connectivity, then this option is switched off.


Thank you
Vishal

[kad]

I think you got most of the points correct. I never really investigated in this, but Build Topology should not be critical for patch dependent meshing even if there is e.g. a minor gap between surfaces. As long as surfaces are correctly connected to curves (and the actual mesh size is larger than the gap size) patch dependent surface meshing should work. As I stated before a working topolgy is a must for some patch dependent meshing.

Point 4: As long as you are using Octree for creating surface mesh it should somehow be able to deal with a "dirty" geometry. This means Octree might work without a proper topolgy. It is capable of meshing even across small gaps. That it why it is also called "Robust" in ICEM.

[anand32]

Originally Posted by kad

I think you got most of the points correct. I never really investigated in this, but Build Topology should not be critical for patch dependent meshing even if there is e.g. a minor gap between surfaces. As long as surfaces are correctly connected to curves (and the actual mesh size is larger than the gap size) patch dependent surface meshing should work. As I stated before a working topolgy is a must for some patch dependent meshing.

Point 4: As long as you are using Octree for creating surface mesh it should somehow be able to deal with a "dirty" geometry. This means Octree might work without a proper topolgy. It is capable of meshing even across small gaps. That it why it is also called "Robust" in ICEM.

Thank you Kad for your reply.

To clarify things further, does that mean

1. For Octree mesh:

Since Octree is a geometry mesher, it does not really care about the surface. So whatever parameter we specify in the "Shell Meshing parameters", like "All Tri" Or "Patch Dependent/Patch Independent" are really irrelevant to Octree meshing.

2. For Patch Dependent Mesh:
This meshing type requires that surfaces should have curves associated with them. "Build Topology" is only one way to ensure that. If surfaces are already attached to curves, build topology may not be required at all; It is a good practice and safe practice to Build Topology before Patch Dependent Meshing, but not really a required practice.

Let me know if I am correct or is there any scope for refining my knowledge in this area.

Thank you

[kad]

Originally Posted by anand32

Thank you Kad for your reply.

To clarify things further, does that mean

1. For Octree mesh:

Since Octree is a geometry mesher, it does not really care about the surface. So whatever parameter we specify in the "Shell Meshing parameters", like "All Tri" Or "Patch Dependent/Patch Independent" are really irrelevant to Octree meshing.

Octree does care about some of the parameters set under "Shell Meshing parameters" e.g. maxsizes. However you more control over the mesh by using patch dependent method because it respects more of those parameters. But patch dependent is also harder to handle. See the various reasons stated before.

You have to be aware that patch dependent and patch independent are two totally different algorithms. The first one is a "real" 2D algorithm that uses cloosed loops that are defined by surfaces and curves. Patch independent method always uses the 3D Octree algorithm and throws the volume mesh automatically away for you. You can check this by surface meshing a (closed) volume with patch independent surface mesher and with octree volume mesher. You can see that the result and even the output in the terminal is almost identical. A detailed description of the Octree algorithm can be found in the manual. Further internally it always produces tri elements.

For 3D Volume Meshing with Octree the entries for "All Tri" Or "Patch Dependent/Patch Independent" are irrelevant, as they only apply to 2D Meshing. For 2D Meshing the entries for "Mesh type" are relevant in both cases. But for patch dependent e.g. quad elements are created from tri elements as the octree algorithm produces pure tri elements.

Originally Posted by anand32

2. For Patch Dependent Mesh:
This meshing type requires that surfaces should have curves associated with them. "Build Topology" is only one way to ensure that. If surfaces are already attached to curves, build topology may not be required at all; It is a good practice and safe practice to Build Topology before Patch Dependent Meshing, but not really a required practice.

Let me know if I am correct or is there any scope for refining my knowledge in this area.

Thank you

This is correct. You are always on the safe side if you check topology first e.g. by coloring curves by count (RMB on curves in Display tree).