While this may be a strange question it is directly related to CFD. We use Pro/E for our drafting, so I use it for solid modeling. Does anyone know of an easy way to take a solid part (or assembly) and end up with just the fluid volume around it so that it can be meshed? Even a link for something on the web would be helpful. Thanks

I doubt it can be done automaticaly. To do it, just talk with the person in charge of the drafting(cad) and tell him to clean up the parts of the geometry that are not needed and then export it in the format that is suitable for your flow solver (parasolid for example).

Regards

ICEM CFD has a direct interface with Pro-E. I mean, if you have ICEM CFD installed then you will see a ICEM CFD option appering in the Pro-E. With this option you can generate the solid model in Pro-E and then convert it in the ICEM CFD input file format inside the pro-e itself. Check out ICEM CFD website for more details. I have used it for my work and it works fine.

You can do an 'assembly cut out'in ProE. Generate a part that represents the fluid volume (e.g. a box that is bigger in every dimension than your solid part). Assemble this with your solid part. Then do Assembly->Component->Adv Utils->Cut out. ProE will ask you which part to perform the dut out process to (the fluid volume) and which parts to cut out (the solid). Go back to your fluid volume part, you will see that the shape of the solid has been cut away from it leaving a hollow void. Now just export the fluid volume and mesh it.

Roe, thanks. This works well. Tom